Death's Dawn
by Arden Sohrano
Summary: Kaito led a calm life in the living world until he was attacked by a hollow. He was killed, but his soul managed to survive, now he begins his quest to become a shinigami himself and to discover the power that sleeps within him. OC Fic.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Amazed, the boy watched, as the disintegrating pieces of the monster fell to the ground.

Shreds of the energy that had come out of the white cloaked man still swirled around the immediate vicinity, bathing it in a surreal glow. It had all happened so damn fast, him dying, the chain on his chest, the appearance of the monster, followed by the mysterious man that shot something out of the palm of his hand. It all seemed like a bad dream, but somehow, a voice in the back of his head continued to remind him that it was all real, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.

As he thought back to the encounter, he realized why he was so convinced that it was all real.

The fear that had struck him when the monster appeared, it had been unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It had made a chill run straight through his bones, made his mind go blank, it had even numbed his entire body.

"Are you all right?", The man in the white cloak asked.

"I think so, yes, except for the fact that I'm dead I believe, I'm quite all right."

"Well, dying is kind of inevitable when faced with a hollow of this strength, especially when you're alive".

"Is that what that thing was called? A hollow? Never heard of it, what are they, some sort of evil spirits?"

"It doesn't surprise me that you haven't heard of them, they can't be seen by normal humans, so naturally, there aren't lot of people that know about them and those that do wisely keep their mouths shut. As for the other question, well, they're somewhat like evil spirits, except that they were once normal souls, like you are, except they got caught up with something happening in the real world, preventing them from passing on to the Soul Society, the place where we guide all souls to, causing him to lose his heart and transform in what you just saw."

"I see, I think I can understand that explanation".

"Excellent, that means I won't have to draw it out for you", the man grinned.

"I have one question though, if that was a bad spirit, or hollow as you called it, and I'm a normal spirit, then what does that make you?", Kaito asked the man, studying him. He was wearing traditional clothing, a white kosode, a black kimono, a hakama and a white obi sash, topped off with a white haori with the symbol nine on it. The clothes seemed to complement his build perfectly, giving him an overwhelming presence. The look his avid eyes cast down would scare anyone if it weren't for the smile his lips formed, calming every fibre in his body.

"Me? I'm a Shinigami, a Death God, we guide souls to Soul Society and purify hollows, sort of like the guardians of the souls."

As the boy watched the last shreds of the strange energy dissipate, he saw the shinigami draw his sword again.

"What's wrong? Is there another hollow nearby?"

"No, it's just that I need to guide you to Soul Society.", the man smiled, "don't worry, it won't hurt. And when you get there, make sure you report to the Shinigami Academy right away. I've got a feeling you've got quite a bit of potential. Just tell them Yoshikune Shinji sent you, they'll let you in."

"I will", the boy said, just as the shinigami let the hilt of his sword tap slightly on his forehead.

"Oh, before I forget, boy, what's your name?" the man in the white cloak asked.

"It's Kaito, Fujiwara Kaito", the boy said as he was enveloped by a soothing blue light.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

As Kaito opened his eyes, he noted that he wasn't in the outskirts of Tokyo anymore.

Instead, he found himself in, what seemed to be, a medieval style city. He noticed people wearing traditional clothing and when he looked at himself, he found that he too, was wearing the same clothes as all the other people.

"So much for my good sense of fashion", he grumbled.

Slowly, he stood up, only to fall down right away, his stomach growling as a starved hyena.

Muttering, he got up again and tried to properly take in his surroundings.

He noticed row after row of houses, people walking in and out all the time. All wearing more or less the same style of clothing, though in a variety of colours.

Suddenly, he noticed a stall out of the corner of his eye.

"Great", he thought by himself, "I sure hope that guy has something to eat, because I'm starving here".

As he made his way towards the stall, he noticed that people that came too close started shaking and immediately shied away from him. One even let out a stifled cry when she came a little too close to him, followed by her collapsing to the ground. This of course, caused quite a bit of people to turn their heads towards him.

Immediately, some people ran towards the girl, helping her on her feet, and taking here into one of the houses.

Suddenly, he noticed an old man approaching him.

"So you're the cause of this disturbance", the old man said in an angry tone, "what do you think you're doing, radiating all that reiatsu all over the place?".

"Reiatsu, what's that? I'm sorry, but I only just arrived here about five minutes ago, so I don't know anything about this place or all these strange things. The only thing I was told, was to report to the Shinigami Academy. But right now, all I care about is to get some food, because I'm hungry as heck"

"That doesn't surprise me, with all that reiatsu you're radiating. Here, take this, it'll get rid of your hunger.", the man said while throwing some bread over to him. He opened his mouth to say something else, but he was cut short by several shinigami appearing on the rooftops of several nearby buildings.

"So you're the cause of that massive disturbance here", the largest of the group said.

"He doesn't look like much eh guys", one of the smaller shinigami spat.

Ignoring the comment, the larger one, obviously the leader of the group, jumped down towards Kaito.

"What's your business here kid?", he asked.

"I was sent here by a man named Yoshikune Shinji, he told me to report to the Shinigami Academy as soon as I got here, but I have no idea where to start looking for it", he answered, trying his hardest not to be unnerved by the man's presence.

"I see", he frowned, "well, I can believe why Yoshikune Taichō would want to recommend you to the academy, but nevertheless, we'll have to check that. Please wait here for a while. Oi, Akira, contact headquarters right away, ask them about Yoshikune Taichō recommending some kid named, what's your name kid?"

"Kaito, Fujiwara Kaito".

"Ask them if he recommended some kid called Fujiwara Kaito for the academy, and hurry it up a bit, we don't have all day.

"Yes sir", one of the shinigami shouted and immediately began chanting while painting some symbols on his arms.

"Net of black and white, 22 bridges, 66 peerless domains, footprints, distant thunder, crest of the mountains, volatile earth, enshroud by night, sea of clouds, blue formations, rise into the towering circle and charge across the heavens. Bakudō No. 77, Tenteikuura!", the patterns on his arms seemed to flow out of his fingertips, a glowing rectangle appearing in the air as he held his hands in front of him. Lighting seemed to shoot out of it, causing all of the other people to run into their homes, screaming at the sight of the shinigami performing the technique.

"Message relayed sir, now we just have to wait for the reply", the man said as the glowing form in the air faded.

"Knowing them, that could take a …", the man suddenly froze in mid-sentence.

"Bloody hell, sir, I've received a reply from headquarters, we are to escort the new trainee to the Academy immediately. There he'll be assigned a tutor from one of the senior year, she'll be waiting for us at the main gate."

Kaito watched several of the people spy on them as the shinigami gathered around him.

"Here kid", the man said as he held out his hand, "hang on tight, we're going to hurry towards the academy right now."

As he grabbed the man's outstretched hand he felt several other shinigami grabbing his clothes tightly. He was about to ask why, but immediately felt himself being pulled forward at an insane speed. The surroundings turning into nothing more than a blur.

They landed right in front of another large complex. Noting that they were alone, the leader of the group cursed.

"Listen kid, we've still got stuff to do, so stay here and make sure you don't run off all right? Someone will come to pick you up in a short while, so don't do anything stupid."

Kaito nodded, he wasn't so stupid as to do something like that. He'd barely finished his gesture and the shinigami had vanished again.

"How the heck do they do that?", he asked himself.

He looked up at the sky, a slight breeze flowing through his hair.

"I'm really dead aren't I", he sighed.

"Oh well, better make the best of this Shinigami stuff"

He could feel it would be something special, if he were to be able to learn all the things those guys had done. He had felt himself feeling lighter, stronger, faster, the moment he'd gotten here. He had been quite strong already, he was well known for his prowess in several martial arts in the real world, but here, it seemed as he could bring them out even better.

Since he didn't have anything better to do, he started to study his environment again.

The academy was constructed out of white stone, topped with an orange roof. Orange plates decorated the walls, and the whole building was draped in the style of an old temple or something like it. The whole building had a calming aura to it though.

At the same moment, he suddenly realized something. While it was cool to have powers like that Shinji dude, he also shuddered at the thought of having to learn it all by going to an academy. He'd never really liked going to school, though he had a feeling that this time, it wouldn't be quite like his school when he was still alive.

"Sorry I'm late", a voice suddenly came out of nowhere.

Kaito started looking around to find the source of the voice, only to see a girl appear out of thin air right in front of his nose.

Instinctively he jumped back, only to have the girl drag him down in her fall.

Quickly, he adjusted his stance and put an arm around the girl's waist to keep her from falling face down on the stone floor.

"Drats, I really need to work on my shunpō some more, I just keep on losing my balance."

"Are you all right?", Kaito asked, letting his arm slide from her waist when he was sure she had regained her balance.

"Are you the new guy?", she asked, ignoring his question, " heeee, you're pretty cute", she smiled as she shamelessly stared at him, taking every detail, his brown eyes, mid-length brown hair, angular face and muscled body, she didn't miss even a single detail, " and your reiatsu is pretty good for someone fresh from the living world.

"This is the Shinigami Academy as you already know, and it's where all wannabe shinigami come to learn techniques and how to control their power, so that one day, they might become worthy shinigami. This takes six years, though quite a lot of the students drop out before they finish their studies, or they just take longer. You're lucky that you have a recommendation from Yoshikune Taichō, it means that you can skip the entrance exam, which usually filters out around three quarters of the applicants. Well, judging by the reiatsu you're letting out, I'd say you shouldn't have all too much trouble in getting through the academy. But stay on your toes, most seniors don't really like the idea of someone skipping the entrance exam and most of the years here."

Anyway, we've lost enough time already, we better get going right away, I'm Emi by the way, Shimizu Emi", she smiled.

As she said this, she grabbed his hand and started dragging him inside.

Still overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the girl, he could do nothing but be dragged along with her, into the Academy.

"First of all, we should get you the proper uniform, otherwise people might give you strange looks when they see you", Emi said as she dragged him along towards one of the smaller buildings to the side of the academy.

After having put on a white and blue version of the shihakushō that the shinigami had been wearing. Much to his surprise, they were quite comfortable and gave him plenty of room to move, something he'd need he thought.

He didn't have much time to admire his new clothes though, for he had barely put them on when the Emi poked her face into the room he was using to change.

" Are you ready? Ah, apparently so", she grinned as she once again took his hand and started to drag him across the entire campus.

As they were running, he looked at Emi and noted that she had earned her name, she was indeed blessed with beauty. He let his eyes glide slowly over every inch of her body, taking in even the slightest detail with utmost precision. Her slender body, her slightly muscled arms, the near perfect proportions of her entire body. Her chestnut brown waist-long hair tied up in a ponytail happily waved in the slight breeze that blew throughout the entire complex.

But most of all, he was captivated by her eyes. They were green, with a slightly brown circle around the pupil.

She noticed him staring at her, tilted her head questioningly.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my clothes?", she asked.

"No", he blushed and tried to avert his gaze, cursing at himself for being caught staring, "I was just wondering why you have a sword with you".

"Oh this? That's my Zanpakutō, all students here have one. But don't worry, you'll get your own pretty soon."

The thought of him owning a katana made him rejoice, it had been a dream ever since he was a kid, but his parents had never let him buy one.

"Looks like dying isn't so bad after all", he thought by himself, and he couldn't stop a grin wash over his face.

As they continued down one corridor after another, Emi explained all the different aspects of the life of shinigami. He was told that there were four main skills that a shinigami should possess. Kidō or The Way of the Demon, which was comparable to magical spells, consisting out of two separate categories, one for destruction and one for binding.

Followed by Hakuda, or hand to hand combat.

Hohō, which effectively meant agility. He suspected that it had something to do with rapid movement, probably the same thing that Emi had done when she had appeared out of thin air right in front of him.

And finally Zanjutsu, which was basically just sword fighting.

She also explained about the general layout of the Gotei 13 and it's command structure.

He understood that there were 13 divisions, each consisting of a large number of unseated shinigami, seated officers, a Fukutaichō and a Taichō, with at the top of all the divisions, the Sotaichō. There was also the Kidō Corps and the Onmitsukidō, plus some sort of research institute.

"After you graduate from this academy, you'll be assigned a division in which you'll serve as a shinigami, though you may request a transfer to another division if you like", she explained.

"Oh, and don't expect to be assigned as a seated officer right away, it usually takes a few years before you're assigned a post as an officer.", she quickly added.

"After all, we'll be going on assignments in the real world, facing real life or death battles. "And even with all the training most of us go through, there are shinigami that are killed or go missing practically every week".

"Then why do you do it?", Kaito wondered.

"That's because we are the only ones that can do it, and what would you prefer? That all those souls are slaughtered just because we're too afraid to go out there and fight?", she said as she shot him a irritated look.

"You yourself were attacked by a hollow right? What would you think if you had been left to your fate?".

"Sorry, I was just wondering, but if you put it that way, I can understand your motivation."

"Great", she smiled happily, "let's continue with our tour then.

"Because I'll be your tutor during your time here, and you should consider yourself lucky for that I may add, you'll have to follow some classes, but in general, I'll teach you everything you'll have to know about being a shinigami during some supplementary classes. Of course, this'll mean that you won't have a lot of spare time, but the advantage is that, with a bit of hard work, you'll be able to graduate within one year. Something that is extremely rare here, but with your current level of reiatsu, I think you'll manage".

They continued to walk through the corridors of the academy, and he witnessed some other trainees practice kidō, others were sparring with wooden swords and some were just lounging about.

"Well, I guess this concludes the tour of the academy", Emi said when they arrived at a building which was obviously a dormitory. "Talk to the dorm head, and he'll assign you to a room where you can stay. After you're a bit settled in, come back here and we'll get started on our first lesson."

"But what about your lessons?", Kaito asked, not wanting to mess up Emi's schedule.

"Don't worry about me", she replied, "I'm far ahead of the rest of my class. You're looking at the best student in the entire senior year here", she boasted.

"Right, the best student except for that one hohō technique right?", he teased.

"Oh shut up", she laughed.

"Right, now get going, we don't have all day."

He entered the dorm and started looking for the supervisor. It didn't take him long to find him though. He could here someone shouting about ditching classes, and sure enough, he found the supervisor nagging at some other students that were lounging about the hallways of the dormitory.

"Errrr, excuse me", he asked the supervisor, who whipped his head around at the sound of someone talking behind him.

"What is it? Shouldn't you be in class?", he growled.

"I'm new here, I only arrived today. I was told to talk to you so that I could be assigned a room.", Kaito told him, "I was admitted to the academy based on a recommendation of Yoshikune Shinji."

"Ah, I see, well, I think we still have some spare rooms that I can offer you, follow me", he said, followed by him turning around and looking at the ditchers, "And you guys, get to your class, and I better not catch you ditching again or else."

They walked through the hallways of the dormitory, with the supervisor occasionally making some random students scatter in every direction, until they arrived at a door at the end of the corridor.

"There, I believe this one should do just nicely for you. You can consider this to be your home during the time you're here, here is the key."

After Kaito was handed the key, he thanked the supervisor for showing him his quarters and rushed back down to meet Emi for his first lesson.

As he stormed out of the dormitory, he started looking around for the girl, until he spotted her sitting underneath some trees.

"Hey", she said when she spotted him running towards her, "you're back soon, sooner than I thought. Drats, and here I was thinking I could take a nap while you were inside. Oh well, I guess I should start with your first lesson then."

She signalled him to follow and started walking down a path between the trees. They continued along the path for a few minutes, until they arrived at a large clearing.

She sat down and told him to do the same.

As he sat down, she started explaining the source of the power of a shinigami to him. Shinigami used the power from inside their bodies, called reiatsu, to perform the different actions such as kidō and hohō.

Basically, he understood that it was a good thing to have as much of it as possible.

"I heard of some people talking to me about that, they were saying I radiated a strong reiatsu or something like that.", he told her.

"Let me guess, when you were walking in Rukongai, the place where you arrived here, the people there tended to avoid you right?"

"Yeah, one girl even collapsed when she came a bit too close".

"That's understandable. When you walk around, you release some reiatsu, this can affect weaker souls and the stronger your reiatsu, the greater the effect it has. That's why shinigami have to learn to subdue their power, otherwise some might even obliterate weaker souls just be standing near them. In order to do this, you must learn how to control it. You have to grasp your power and manipulate it, it's the basic of all shinigami techniques."

"First of all", she said as she took his hands, "you must find your power within yourself. Then you need to grab a hold of it and make it do your bidding. To do this, you must focus and meditate. Most shinigami only take a few days to do it, but it wouldn't surprise me if you would manage it in a few hours."

Following Emi's instructions, Kaito closed his eyes and focused. Much to his surprise, he immediately found himself on a large piece of rock, floating amongst the clouds together with several other, similar, chunks.

In front of him, he could see some sort of shimmer in the air, as if the earth beneath it was heating it like a furnace.

As he tried to take everything in at the same time, he vaguely heard Emi's voice, something about his power being insubstantial in the beginning.

Immediately, he understood that the shimmer should be his own power and cautiously he began to approach it. As he came closer, he noticed that is had changed. It had grown considerably and he became somewhat more cautious in his approach.

As he came within a few feet of the shimmer however, it suddenly expanded, releasing a massive gust of wind that nearly blasted him off his feet. He vaguely heard Emi scream as he tried to regain his balance.

Emi watched him sink into deep meditation as she was explaining how to control reiatsu. A few minutes passed without anything happening, until she suddenly felt a chill creep up her spine. She focussed her attention on Kaito and, much to her surprise, noticed a massive build-up of power coming from deep within the boy's body. She had just enough time to shield her face when suddenly a massive blast of reiatsu ripped through the clearing, slicing through branches like they were made of paper, and tearing huge gashes in the trunks of the trees. She let out a scream when one of the blasts slashed across her arm, creating a cut that ran from her wrist to her elbow. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the relative safety of the, now badly scarred, trees, all the while eyeing the boy that had unconsciously unleashed the massive wave or power. The feeling of it shook her to her core. As the best student of the senior year, she had encountered a few captains, and only they had had the same effect on her as this boy did.

Fighting to get back onto his feet, he noticed that the shimmer had undergone another change. It had become more substantial and now looked more like a faint cloud. This didn't mean that the wind had become weaker however, on the contrary, it seemed to gain in strength with every passing second. He thought of the scream he had heard and realised that something must have been going on with his body as well. Suddenly, he noticed that the wind had weakened a little bit. Without thinking, he threw himself at the strange cloud and grabbed at it. Much to his surprise, it was substantial and allowed him to get a good grip on it. This however, had the effect that the wind flared back up with more power than before. He was forced to hang on for dear life and it pulled violently at him, threatening to throw him clean off the rock he was on. He cursed at the cloud of power and tried to push it down to the ground. He tensed his muscles as he felt it budge, doubling his efforts to bring the damn thing down. As he pressed it down on the rock, he could feel the wind die down and suddenly noticed that the cloud was starting to flow more gently. As he let go, it came back up and started floating around lazily, apparently not realising the havoc it had unleashed only seconds before.

As he looked up, he felt himself being pulled away from the strange floating rock and moments later, he noticed himself sitting in the middle of the clearing. Of Emi there was no trace though and when he looked around he noticed the gashes in the trees and the broken branches that littered the clearing.

"Are you back Kaito-kun?", he suddenly heard Emi's voice from behind one of the trees.

"Yeah, I'm back, and I think I have my power under control now. By the way, what happened here?"

"I think we severely underestimated your strength", she explained.

As she told him what had happened the moment he had sunk into meditation, his eyes widened in shock.

"You mean I did this?", he asked her with obvious disbelief in his voice, "but that's impossible".

"It's not impossible, it's just that your power is incredibly strong. Now I can see why Yoshikune Taichō felt the need to recommend you into the academy. You're amazing, your powers are even greater than my own."

"But I still need to learn how to control them right?", Kaito told her.

"Exactly, but considering the time it took you to gain control over your own power, I think that shouldn't take too long. At this rate, graduating within the year is very much a possibility."

Suddenly he noticed the wound on her arm.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Oh, you mean this?", she asked while pointing at the cut.

"That's nothing, I've had worse, besides, I can heal it myself.", as she said this she held the palm of her hand over the cut. Kaito's eyes widened as her arm suddenly bathed in a fain green light.

"How the …", he brought out, but he couldn't finish his sentence because after only a few second, Emi removed her hand and there wasn't a trace of the cut left.

She grinned as she saw his face.

"It's an application of Kido, it allows you to heal wounds on yourself and others. Pretty handy in times like this. Now, do you want to continue with your lessons or should we call it a day?"

He snapped out of his amazement, realizing that he had been staring at Emi's arm.

"I would like to continue, if you don't mind", he told her. He was getting more interested in being a shinigami by the minute.

"Right, then we should try for you to materialize your zanpakutō. But considering the last time you went into meditation", she looked around at the marks that the reiatsu had left in the trees, " I think we ought to move to a more, secure location before you cause an even bigger disturbance. Come on, follow me".

As they snuck out of between the trees, they saw several trainees accompanied by one of the teachers run towards the clearing.

"They're going to be wondering about what caused the devastation", Emi grinned.

"Perhaps they're going to classify it as a natural disaster", Kaito replied, a grin appearing on his face as well.

"Well, if they'd come to that conclusion, it'd be correct, in a way", Emi smiled at him.

This response momentarily stopped his thought process. What kind of power did he possess if the best student of the senior year thought he was comparable to a natural disaster. He didn't have much time to wonder about it though, for soon enough, she grabbed his hand again and started pulling him towards their next destination.

As they ran across half the academy again, he noticed a distinct change in the environment. The usual, beautifully decorated hallways and classrooms giving way to more sterile and colder looking corridors and training rooms. He thought that this was probably what she had meant with a more secure location and he couldn't blame her. Should his next meditation cause something similar, or even something worse, he could've levelled every single tree in the vicinity, something he had never imagined possible when he was still alive. All of this still felt somewhat unreal. The encounter with the monster and the white cloaked man, his admittance to the academy, his meeting with Emi. He felt light as a feather and strong enough to snap a tree in half and ever since he had come out of the meditation, he could feel the power inside himself, bending itself to his will. He was curious what the materialization of his zanpakutō would be like. It was something he could barely even imagine.

They stopped in front of a large metal door, it's sleek surface glimmering in the last spots of sunlight that fell through one of the windows, bathing the entire hallway in an eerie light.

"Here we are, the special training room", Emi explained as she slid open the metal door.

On the contrary to what he expected, it slid open quite easily, Emi apparently didn't have to use any strength at all, or at least it seemed that way, for she used only one hand to push it aside as if she were pushing a branch of a bush out of the way.

As they entered the room, he noticed that the insides of the room were covered in the same metal as the door, with a single window in the roof.

He sat down in the middle of the room, with Emi staying well away from his location, obviously to avoid getting hurt like the last time.

"So I basically do the same right?", he asked her nervously.

"Well, I can't tell you what will happen once you've entered your mental realm, it's different for each person. But you can expect it to be harder than the last time because this time, your own power will test you to see if you are worthy to wield a zanpakutō", she explained.

"But don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine".

Hearing her say this, he calmed down a bit and closed his eyes.

After a few seconds staying focused on the pulse he felt inside of him. He felt something pulling at his conscious again. He let it drag him along and quickly he found himself in his mental world again. What he saw there shook him to his very core, he could even feel the rock he was standing on shudder as shock coursed through him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Emi stood well away from Kaito when he started meditating again and it didn't take her long to realise that the atmosphere in the room had changed drastically.

She had been expecting something like the last time, but this time however, there was no wind, not even the slightest breeze. She wondered about the sudden change, when she suddenly noticed small arcs of lightning jump off Kaitos body. Immediately she jumped back even further to avoid being struck should the lightning get stronger, something she expected to happen.

The cloud that had been in Kaito's inner world had changed drastically. Instead of lazily floating around, it was now swirling violently, steadily growing in size and getting darker by the minute, as if a miniature thundercloud was forming right in front of him. Flashes illuminating the inside, giving it a surreal appearance and the larger it grew, the brighter they became.

He gave a stifled gasp as the air began to stir, rippling as with excessive heat, as if it had become too heavy for it to support itself. He noted that the cloud had begun changing shape, slowly taking on the form of a creature, causing lighting to arc in every direction, shattering rocks and charging the surroundings with electricity, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. As the form of the could became clearer, he felt his grip on reality slip more and more, for what he saw in front of him defied all common sense.

He looked up at the creature, his eyes trying to take in even the most minute detail. The long, reptilian skull with spikes protruding along it's entire spine, the huge body covered in rough scales, it's teeth and talons glimmering in the vibrant display of lightning that occurred with every sway of it's massive tail. Wings extending from it's back, moving slowly in the ever increasing wind.

"A dragon", he whispered in awe, "it's a real dragon".

"So you're the one who awoke me from my slumber", the dragon's voice suddenly boomed.

The sheer force of the sound making his entire inner world reverberate.

"I hope you're prepared to face the consequences of what you did little one", it continued.

It grinned, the sheer sight of it making Kaito shudder.

"I suspect you want to use my power, and so you shall, but only if you've proven yourself worthy. Only after passing my test will you be able to become a true shinigami."

"You're right", Kaito replied, shaking off his fear.

"If I'm to pass this guy's test, I'll have to keep my cool, stay calm. Come on Kaito, don't let his appearance get to you", he said in his mind, "he's still my own power, so I know I can beat him".

"So what is it that I have to do in order to pass your test?", he asked the dragon.

"It's simple, just try to stay alive", it grinned.

Having said this, the dragon waved it's tail, causing lighting to arc in Kaito's direction.

He jumped aside, the lightning disintegrating the place he had been standing on only a fraction of a second earlier.

"Not bad", it commented, "but you should be able to do much better".

This time the dragon raised it's claws, and Kaito could clearly see the lightning arcing between them. Pointing it's claw at him, it launched another barrage of attacks towards him. With no viable alternative, he jumped out of the way, the bolt missing him by a hairs width, causing a massive explosion when it hit the rocks, sending him flying along with quite a bit of debris. As he came down, he saw the dragon launching even more attacks. Rolling out of the way, he somehow managed to get back onto his feet again and started running towards the dragon until it suddenly spread it's wings. The sheer increase in size made him stop dead in his tracks. Not even noticing the huge bolt that came crashing down upon him.

The lightning hit him, his eyes blinded by the huge flash. The pure energy entering his body causing him to convulse violently, he felt the shock coursing through his body, seemingly turning each cell on it's path inside-out, altering it's structure down to the most basic of particles. Without warning however, the blinding light that had enveloped him vanished, his eyesight suddenly returning. Shocked, he looked around and saw the dragon smiling.

"And so you've survived my test", it congratulated him, "you're probably wondering what happened to your body, so I'll explain it to you. As you might have noticed already, I can generate lightning, and using my power, so can you. The downside however is that if you try to generate lightning that is not a kidō spell, the consequences can be disastrous because your body can't handle the huge currents that come with throwing around small sparks like the ones I used on you, not to mention the bigger lightning strikes. You probably felt a change occurring throughout your body when the shock passed through you right?"

Kaito nodded, the aftermath of the test causing his mind to go blank.

"This change was necessary, for otherwise you'd die while generating lightning. Once again, I congratulate you for surviving the test, but be warned, the next time you come here, it won't be that easy."

As the dragon said this, he could feel himself being pulled out of his inner world and back to the training room in the academy.

As the dragon watched him disappear, it smiled, "next time, it won't be that easy".

Having said this, it began to fade, until it had returned to being a cloud in the sky of the vast world that was inside Fujiwara Kaito.

As he returned to his body, he felt someone shaking at his shoulders. He slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the open sky.

"Where the heck is the ceiling?", he wondered, but he didn't have much time to think about it for he suddenly felt himself being hauled up. He opened his eyes completely and noticed Emi sitting in front of him.

"Are you all right?", she asked, looking at him with a straight face.

"Yeah, I think so, but what the heck happened here?", he replied as he looked around the room.

It had been utterly devastated, the walls had scorch marks all over them and looked as if they had been sliced with a ridiculously oversized sword. The roof had been blow away, the edges of the walls still glowing with residual heat.

He tried to get up, but as he placed his hand at his side, he noticed a sword lying at his side. He picked it up and admired it, the pitch black sheath, the intricately woven pattern on the hilt, the magnificently crafted guard shaped as a curled up dragon.

He held his breath as he slowly drew the blade, sparks arcing across the length of the blade. He noticed Emi was staring at the sword the same way he was, fascinated by it's beauty.

Suddenly, their focus on the sword was broken by voices coming from the hallway.

"Let me guess, we better hightail it out of here right?", he grinned at Emi.

"We better, if the teachers find us here in this room they're going to raise hell", she replied, an equally wide grin forming on her face.

They got to their feet, the voices in the hallway coming closer, the door of the training room being planted halfway through the opposite wall of the corridor.

"Damn, looks like we can't go out through the hallway anymore", he cursed.

"No problem, since you were so kind to create another exit during your meditation, we can escape without a problem", Emi told him as she pointed to the place where the roof used to be.

"Now hang on", she said as she placed an arm around his waist, "you don't know anything about Hohō yet, so I'll have to help you, but only this time all right?"

He placed his arms around her and held on as she leapt in the air and much to his amazement, started leaping off what seemed to be invisible platforms in midair.

He wanted to ask her how she did it, but he figured that he would learn how to do it in the near future, so he decided to stay quiet while they ran.

Nakajima Hatsuharu hated surprises, especially the unpleasant ones and the sight of the demolished training room was something he would categorize under extremely unpleasant.

"First the clearing in the woods near the dormitory, now this. What the hell is going on here", he wondered.

From the corner of his eye he noticed a couple of students approaching the scene of destruction, looking dumbfounded at the door which had crashed through a wall.

"You there", he barked at the students who jumped at the sound of his voice, "yes, you, did you see who did this?"

"No sir", one of the students replied, "we just saw an incredibly bright flash, followed by a huge crashing sound, it seemed as if lightning had struck the room."

"Lightning eh", he thought as he walked into the room.

"Something's not right here", he pondered, " if it had been lightning, it wouldn't have caused this type of damage, at least not a normal lightning strike. More so, the sky has been clear for the entire day, so that leaves only one possibility. It must have come from inside the room, which would explain the roof being blasted clear off. But in order to do all that, what in the world could generate that much power?"

He heard a sound behind him and noticed the students come into the training room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?", he said to them, a dangerous undertone clearly audible in his voice.

"Go to your quarters, classes are over for today and I don't think you're the type to train afterwards."

The students hurried out of the room, not wanting to unleash the wrath of one of the most feared teachers at the academy.

"Sometimes I wonder about our future, with students of that calibre", he thought as he watched them dash safely out of range of his spiritual sense, "then again, if there's a student capable of doing this, I might need to reconsider that opinion. But I'll find you, you can be sure of that".

He turned around and started walking away as part of the teacher corps came running to the scene, he couldn't care less about their findings, he had all the information he needed to track down the one responsible for the destruction.

"Hang on", Emi yelled as they were flying through the air, "I'm going to perform shunpō, so make sure you don't let go".

She had barely finished speaking when Kaito could feel himself being pulled forward at an incredible speed, the environment turning into a blur. They reappeared not too far from the dormitory, but the added weight from his body screwed up Emi's already unsteady balance, causing them to crash into a couple of bushes.

He managed to move his body underneath Emi's in order to cushion her fall but kind of regretted it when he felt half a dozen branches poke painfully into his back.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry", Emi yelled as she tried to push herself off him, the added pressure only causing the branches to poke even deeper into his back.

"You really need to train some more on that move", he winced as he felt a particularly pointy stick cut through his skin a bit.

She was about to comment on him not even being able to do shunpō when she suddenly heard giggles behind her. She quickly jumped off Kaito and turned towards the source of the sound only to see a few girls running into the dormitory.

"Great", she muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, except the fact that within ten minutes the whole frigging academy is going to think that we're a couple because of this little mishap".

"So much for trying to keep a bit of a low profile", she sighed, "soon everyone's going to know my face, not to mention yours".

"Is it that bad to be a little well known on the academy?"

"It is, for people like myself at least".

"What do you mean people like you?"

"You'll find out soon enough", she smiled cryptically, "come on, let's get to our quarters before the rumour spreads any further."

As they went towards their quarters, Kaito was amazed at the speed at which the rumour had spread, for a lot of people were standing in front of their rooms, waiting for them to pass by. Some even whistled at the so-called couple. He decided ignoring them was the best course of action and Emi seemed to agree with him, for she didn't respond to a single remark made by one of the other trainees.

"What the hell is that new guy doing with a zanpakutō?", one of the other students suddenly shouted, pointing at the blade tucked safely in Kaito's belt.

The laughter and whistles immediately stopped as every other trainee looked at the sword at the same time. They continued down the hallway, but now they only heard nervous whispers coming from students that had grouped together. Kaito suddenly whished he could make himself invisible, he hadn't liked the previous kind of attention, but he hated this even more. He noticed some students looking nervously at him but they turned their head as soon as they noticed he was looking back at them. Emi however didn't even seem phased by the change in behaviour with her fellow students, she just continued along as she had bee doing before, ignoring all comments.

"I'll come pick you up around six in the morning tomorrow, so make sure you're ready", Emi told him as they arrived at his room.

"Why so early?", he complained.

"Because the lessons start at eight and I want to teach you a thing or two beforehand", she told him, "so make sure you're up or I'll come and drag you out of your bed".

"All right, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then", he said as he opened the door to his room.

"Good night Kaito"

"G'night", he said as he closed the door.

As he closed the door, he felt fatigue creep over him. So much had happened in such a short time. He sighed as he placed his zanpakutō on his desk, slipped out of his clothes and walked into the shower. He could still feel the pulse of his power inside him. He raised his hand, wondering how to use the power that dragon had given him. He smiled as he held up his hand, imagining sparks arcing from one finger to another. He didn't have a lot of time to imagine it though, for soon enough there really were sparks arcing from one finger to the other. Taken aback by this sudden development, he immediately dropped his focus, causing the sparks to disappear.

"What the…", he whispered, not knowing what exactly had happened.

He decided to try it again, but this time the lightning started to encircle him, arcing precariously from one arm to the other, running along the length of his back. It was behaving as if it were trying to protect him from some sort of danger.

"It's just as I imagined", he breathed.

"So this is how I can use my power eh, pretty neat".

He wanted to try out some more things with it, but decided otherwise, his body was complaining about a lack of sleep. This however couldn't stop him from thinking up uses for his newfound powers. After having taken a shower, he started rummaging through his closet until he found something that seemed to be pyjamas to him. Putting them on, he let himself fall onto the bed and drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

"So the student that transferred in on recommendation of Yoshikune Taichō was responsible for this?", Nakajima Hatsuharu asked the director, the revelation of the identity of the perpetrator causing his excitement in hunting him down personally to be cut down in a matter of seconds.

"Indeed, he is also the one responsible for damaging the trees near the student dormitory. I believe he, if trained correctly, will possess a power strong enough to become a seated officer at least", the director explained.

"He was recommended by Yoshikune Taichō, and this alone was a good enough reason to assign Shimizu Emi as his personal tutor. She is the one best suited for educating him to become an excellent shinigami. Because of this, I kindly request you ignore these little accidents Nakajima-sensei and that you make sure he receives the best training as possible, for this reason I'll be assigning him to your class".

"Understood sir", Hatsuharu saluted.

He turned around and left the meeting room.

"Let these accidents slip? What the hell is the headmaster thinking. I don't care if he's incredibly powerful or if he has a lot of potential. He broke the rules and I'll make sure he pays", he thought, swearing that he'd catch that roughneck doing something wrong. He'd make sure he'd get what he deserved.

"Who the hell does that new guy think he is, trying to steal the spotlight from me", Akimoto Momiji cursed.

He was one of the most promising students of the senior year, no one could beat him in terms of raw power, not even the great Shimizu Emi had as much reiatsu as he did. Then why did she hang around with that new guy instead of him, what was so special about him? He hadn't seen him personally, but he had heard he had only transferred in today and that he already had his zanpakutō.

"Bullshit", he thought, it took even the most talented of shinigami trainees several weeks to get their zanpakutō to materialize, even he had taken well over a week.

He'd find the guy and he'd prove that he was the best in the entire academy.

Kaito opened his eyes at the annoying sound of his alarm clock.

"God I hate these things", he muttered as he slowly raised himself out of his bed. His mind still felt a bit foggy and his muscles strained as he walked around his room.

Twenty minutes, a shower and a light meal later, he heard someone knock on his door.

"Oi Kaito, time to go", a familiar voice shouted.

"I'm coming, just a second", he replied as he put on his shihakushō and hurried out of his room.

"There you are", Emi said when he opened the door, "I was about to break it down and come drag you along you know".

"Right", he said, obviously not believing her threat, " so what's on the menu for today's training?"

"Well, since there's an examination on Hohō coming up, we'll practise that".

"Let me guess, it's so you can get in some practise as well right?", he teased her.

"Oh shut it you".

Laughing, they walked out of the dormitory towards one of the training fields.

Kaito struggled to fight the urge to tell her about his powers, but he held on, deciding that it would be better to keep it hidden from her, so that he could surprise her with it when the time was right. There weren't too many people up at this hour, so thankfully, they only needed to endure a few weird looks as they walked.

"Right, so the principle of Hohō is to use reiatsu to move at either high speed, a technique called shunpō, or to solidify it underneath you so that you can use it as a sort of platform. In general, you could consider Hohō to be a sort of advanced movement technique, allowing you to reach the most impossible places. Advanced techniques of Hohō can even allow you to fly without the need of having formed a platform to stand on. This of course can give you a distinct advantage over your opponent. Since you're new to this, we'll start with one of the basic techniques, forming a platform to stand on. You can feel the reiatsu in the air around us right?".

"Uhu", Kaito nodded.

"Good, now, gather this reiatsu using your will, gather them beneath you and solidify them, that way you'll be able to create a platform. It's quite easy actually, you just need to focus enough", Emi explained. She jumped into the air and landed onto what seemed to be an invisible platform.

"See, it's easy".

"To you perhaps", he grumbled as he focused on sensing the reiatsu, finding it, he gathered as much as he could and forced them to collide with one another so that they would solidify. After having tried it out on the ground for a few minutes, he found that it was, as Emi had said, quite easy.

"Right, now to put it to the test", he said as he jumped into the air.

Emi's eyes widened when she Kaito leap into the air and land on thin air not too far away from her. She had expected him to learn it quite quickly, but not after a single try.

"Ok, that's that, so what's next?", he asked her, his voice slightly mocking her.

"Ok, since you're soooo good at this, let's try something more difficult", she shot back.

"The next technique is called shunpō, it's, as you've seen already, a technique that you can use to move at extremely high speeds. It's one of the most difficult moves in the entire Hohō segment of techniques. And yes, as you've seen already, even I still have some difficulties with it. Basically, you just gather your reiatsu at your feet, the rest almost happens by itself. Just remember to keep your balance when you land."

"I see, and is there a limit to how far you can go?"

"Not really, basically, the most you've mastered the technique, the faster and further you'll be able to go. For now, I can move up to a maximum of about twenty meters in one step."

"All right then, let's give it a try", Kaito said as he started gathering his reiatsu at his feet and stepped.

Doing so, he felt himself being pulled forward at a dazzling speed. As he watched the environment fade into a blur as he sped by, he involuntarily lost his focus, causing the reiatsu at his feet to dissipate and thus, ending his step. The sudden stop causing him to skid over the ground as he desperately tried to stop himself from falling flat on his face.

As he came to a halt, he turned around and found, much to his amazement, that he had covered well over a hundred meters in a single step.

Just as he was about to try to perform shunpō again, he heard a swishing sound behind him, the thud following it giving away the identity of the person who had just appeared behind him.

"How the hell did you do that?", she growled, rubbing her arms on the place she had landed on.

'I've never seen anyone perform that kind of shunpō on their first try. Are you sure you've died only yesterday?"

"I don't know how I do it, I just did as you told me to and everything just happened".

"Kaito-kun, I know you're exceptional, but now you're scaring me", Emi said, the expression on her face indicating shock, even fear.

"Just what are you?"

"I don't know, I just do as you tell me to and then I can do these things".

Just at that moment, they heard a bell, indicating the start of the first class. Exchanging glances, they started heading towards the training room. Kaito consciously keeping his distance as he walked behind Emi. At first he had wanted to continue talking about what had happened, but as soon as he'd seen the look on Emi's face he'd stopped dead in his tracks. As they continued on, he pondered about what Emi had said, the words still resounding in his mind.

"What am I?", he asked himself, "I'm just another shinigami right?"

In vain, he tried to convince himself over and over again that he too was just a normal shinigami, perhaps a bit better than average, but he just couldn't do it. The scenes when he had finished meditating, the shock on Emi's face when he had performed those Hohō techniques successfully at his first try kept on coming back in front of his mind's eye. The last scene unnerving him above all else. "She's the best student of the senior year for Christ's sake, how come she's afraid of me?"

The usual bantering that was present in the classroom fell dead silent the moment they entered. Kaito could feel the looks of all 27 student fixed on him and Emi, the feeling of being observed by so many people mingling with the fear of himself that had been growing steadily on the way towards the classroom. The result of this mix only adding to his uneasiness.

Hearing a cough behind him, he turned around to find a teacher standing behind him, waiting for him to move out of the way so that he himself could enter.

"Oh, sorry sir", he apologised quickly as he moved out of the way.

"Thank you Mr. Errrr, who are you?".

He opened his mouth to respond and tell that he'd been admitted on recommendation of Yoshikune Taichō, but Emi beat him to it.

"He's the new transfer student everyone's been talking about sir, the one who got in on a recommendation of Yoshikune Taichō, I was assigned to tutor him during our free hours so that he would be able to catch up with the rest of the senior year".

This comment causing quite a bit of a stir with the other students. Some beginning to whisper to one another, others just laughing.

"And it's something that I personally believe he is quite capable of".

"So, you're telling us that this new guy here, fresh from the living world would be able to wipe the floor with us in a few months eh?", one of the more muscular students present in the class sneered.

"Not months", Emi said calmly, "days would be more accurate".

"Right, and we're supposed to believe you, oh how low the high and mighty Shimizu family has fallen, now their heirs are starting to spout nonsense."

"Kaito-kun, ignore that idiot's comment and do as I say right now, you can feel that pulse inside of you right?" .

He nodded.

"Good, feel it, grasp it and amplify it, as much as you can, right here, right now", Emi told him as she braced herself for what she expected would come.

As Kaito felt the pulse, he did as she had told him, grasping it firmly with his mind, then focussing as hard as he could, causing it to grow stronger. Struggling to keep control, he continued to raise it's power until he felt that he would lose control if he were to keep on strengthening it.

She had felt it coming before anyone else, even the teacher, had even picked up the slightest hint of it. Even so, nothing could have prepared her for what he unleashed.

The blast tore through the classroom, making papers scatter like leaves on an autumn wind. The weaker students collapsing almost instantly from the intense spiritual pressure, the mediocre ones following not too soon after. It had taken him only three seconds to put everyone besides the teacher and some of the more powerful students on their knees, gasping for breath, sweat dripping in streams from their faces.

"Kaito-kun, stop!!", Emi yelled at him. Even she was being pushed to the limit by the pressure surrounding him.

Noting the concern in her voice, he immediately subdued the pulse to it's previous state. As he released his focus on his inner self, he started noticing what he had done. Practically the entire class was on it's knees.

"What the …", he breathed, but he was interrupted by the teacher.

"Well now, I believe everyone here won't forget who this young man is. So now let us start with the examination that we had planned. I suppose that you will be able to participate as well Fujiwara-kun", the teacher said, acting as if nothing had happened, but secretly wiping away a drop of sweat that had formed in his forehead.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After having formally introduced Kaito to the class, the teacher led them towards the main training field where the examination would be taking place.

"All right, since we have a new student here, but also because some of you might have forgotten about it, I'll be explaining the details about this test again. The goal is to perform 2 different hohō techniques, you may choose which you use. Both the level of the technique and the level of skill that is used to perform it will have an influence on your score. Now, first up, Tanaka and Midorikawa."

Hearing their names being called out, two people stepped from the crowd. The first one a small girl, waist long hair tied into two ponytails, with a child-like round face, looked as if the examination was just a game to her. The second one, a guy with a surprisingly delicate build, but most notably his glasses and the already retreating hairline, giving him the look of some sort of professor, had a different expression on his face though. It was as if he were faced with a life or death battle.

"You shouldn't underestimate either of them Kaito", he heard Emi whisper.

"The little one is Tanaka Miharu, she looks harmless, but don't let that fool you, she's downright scary once she starts fighting. The other one's Midorikawa Ryouji, he's not much when it comes to close combat fighting or speed, but he can beat anyone present here hands down in a pure kidō fight, I've even heard rumours of him performing level sixties and seventies spells, he's a veritable monster with spells.

Kaito listened closely to Emi's explanation as he looked at his classmates. The little girl, her two ponytails dancing as she ran towards the teacher, didn't seem to have any problem with shunpō or any other hohō ability, for she happily flashed from one platform in the air to the other. The other guy seemed to have quite a bit more trouble though, calmly using some platforms as some sort of stairs, finally just levitating his body for a few centimetres from one of the platforms.

"That's enough for you two", the teacher suddenly said. Tanaka, excellent work. Midorikawa, can't you ever hurry up, you've made the grade but next time, please perform them a bit faster. Right, next."

As the teacher continued to call names from his list, Kaito listened intently to Emi's description of each classmate, trying to memorize their names as they passed in front of him.

"Next, Shimizu".

"Well, it's my turn now, wish me luck Kaito-kun", Emi said as she darted off to take the test.

Kaito watched intently as he saw her leap towards invisible platforms with ease.

"So far so good", he said as he watched.

As she prepared herself to perform shunpō, he unconsciously held his breath, hoping that this time she would be able to maintain her balance.

She began. Gathering her reiatsu at her feet, she took one last look to where Kaito stood.

"I can't lose face here, not in front of him", she screamed out inside her mind.

As she felt herself being flung forward, the environment changing into a blur. Choosing the spot to land, she braced herself for the sudden deceleration. Her knees bent when she hit the ground. As she felt herself lose her balance, she whipped around, placing her hand onto the ground. Leaning forward to compensate for the momentum, she skidded for a couple of meters, stopping in the cloud of dust she had gathered on the way. She stood up, looking how far she had gone and found, much to her amazement that she had gone well over fifty meters, without falling.

"Shimizu, excellent work, though the landing could use a little touch here and there", the teacher smiled, lightly patting his clothes to get the dust out.

"So, what did you think Kaito-kun?", Emi asked as she returned to his side. She didn't get an answer though, for Kaito had his name called off right after she had returned. He just smiled at her as he ran off towards the teacher. The smile however had told Emi everything she'd wanted. She sighed happily as she watched him run off.

"I wonder how he'll do", she thought.

"Hey mister miracle, show us what you can do", he heard the one Emi had described as Akimoto Momiji shout, "Come on, we were told you'd be catching up to us in a matter of days right? So come on, show it to us".

"Shut up Momiji, leave him alone", Emi bit back at him, obviously annoyed by the comments made by the troublemaker. Kaito hadn't liked him the minute he had seen him walk up to the teacher to take the examination. Looked like his prediction about him being a jerk were proven to be true, a lot sooner than he had anticipated.

"Fujiwara, please perform any hohō technique to the best of your abilities".

"Yes sir", he shouted as he leapt into the air as high as he could. Leaving the rest of his class and the teacher well below him. Focussing, he quickly created a platform for him to stand on. As he looked down, he noticed that he was about a fifty meters above the ground.

"Right, now for my shunpō", he said in his mind as he gathered his reiatsu at his feet.

Already having chosen what he'd do for his proving Emi's trust in him to be well-founded, he leapt.

Emi saw the jaws of several of her fellow students fall open as they watched him leap high into the air. Landing safely on a platform. Simply performing this act was remarkable, but what he did afterwards truly stunned everyone present at the field. Vanishing from his platform, everyone lost track of him except for the teacher, whose eyes started shooting from one place to the other.

Several small clouds of dust were thrown up by what seemed to be a localised twister and several students' clothes fluttered as if something had suddenly passed by at great speed.

Kaito landed a couple of meters away from the teacher, who was looking at him intently, as if trying to judge his power. The students however were looking as if someone had just blown up the academy in their faces.

"Nine shunpō steps in 3 seconds, at an amazing speed too, very well done", the teacher commented.

As Kaito returned to where he had been standing, he saw everyone look at him as if they'd seen a monster appear right in front of them, in a sense they had.

"Nice job Kaito-kun", Emi told him when he approached her, "you sure showed them".

"You've obviously recovered from your fear of me", he told her, wondering what her reaction to the comment would be.

"Those taunts when you entered the classroom woke me up, I was just being jealous of you, but I realised that you have an enormous potential and that something petty like you beating me in ability shouldn't have an effect on our friendship".

Surprised by this honest reply, he could do nothing but smile at her, appreciating the fact that she was his first and best friend he had here. He had definitely made quite a bit of enemies already, so he'd need every friend he could get. Glancing at Momiji, he knew that he'd be the main pain in the butt.

"Very well, that concludes the hohō examination of today, while I've seen quite decent techniques, some of you definitely have to put in some more effort into it if you're to pass the final exam at the end of the year", the teacher concluded.

"So, Kaito-kun, what do you want to do now?", Emi asked him, "we've got some time before the next class starts"

"Well, shouldn't we be practising the subject for that class then?"

"Nah, it's just sparring with boken, nothing else, you'll do just fine".

"You sure? I mean, I've never tried practising with a sword in my entire life."

"Don't worry, I know you can do it, you've got the talent", she told him as she gave him a gentle punch to the stomach, "now come on, let's grab something to eat, I'm starving."

As Momiji saw the two of them walk in the direction of the cafeteria, he growled. He'd been outdone again, this time not only by the Shimizu heir but also by the little Tanaka brat and to top it off, the damn newcomer had put even those two to shame.

"Damn them for acting all high and mighty like that," he swore quietly, but suddenly he remembered the next class, his face distorting into a wicked sneer.

"I'll get you during the next class", he told himself.

"So you're the new guy that everyone's been talking about", Kaito heard someone say behind him. He turned around to find Tanaka and Midorikawa standing behind him.

"Ah, Tanaka-san and Midorikawa-san, wasn't it?", he remembered their names from the examination.

"Please, you can call me Miharu-chan, no need for the formalities", the small girl smiled, Midorikawa simply nodded.

"So, Emi-chan, are you going to introduce us to him yet? Quit hogging him all to yourself.", Miharu teased Emi, who had obviously been embarrassed by the comment.

Noting that the was in a bit of trouble, Kaito broke the silence by suggesting they go eat something to prepare for the next class. As they walked towards the cafeteria, Miharu continued to ask Emi questions about Kaito, what his favourite food was, his height, his weight.

"Don't worry about it, she's always like that whenever she gets to meet someone", Ryouji said as Miharu launched another volley of questions at Emi.

"I see, thanks for the advice Midorikawa-san", Kaito said, satisfied with both the fact that Midorikawa had finally said something and that Miharu's behaviour was normal, for her at least.

They arrived in the cafeteria, all of them choosing something to eat, both Kaito and Emi taking medium sized portions, Midorikawa taking an extra small one and, much to Kaito's surprise, Miharu took an extra large plate.

The sheer quantity of food didn't cause her to ease up on the question offensive though. She kept on launching one after the other even as she wolfed down the food with amazing speed.

"You going to eat that?, "Miharu suddenly asked him. In his amazement, he hadn't even touched his own food.

"Yes I am", he replied just in time, Miharu's chopsticks hovering mere millimetres from his plate.

"Awwwww, bummer", she pouted, looking longingly to the untouched food on Kaito's plate.

To prevent her from making any attempt to steal his food, Kaito proceeded to eat his food, reaching a speed close to that of Miharu. All the while avoiding the look in her face, he didn't want to be swayed by some sort of innocent puppy-eyes look.

Having finished their meals, they went off to the next class. Arriving at the training room, they could see students of one of the junior years spar.

"They're not too bad", Miharu commented, "but I'm better".

"Of course you are Miharu-chan", Emi replied, "you're a senior, of course you're better than them."

Kaito used only about 10 percent of his attention to listen to the girls chatter, most of it was devoted to watching the two students fight, the rest of their class sitting at one of the walls. They obviously were novices. He could see gaps in their stances everywhere he looked. Their stiff movements seemed to take an eternity to him. He noticed he was projecting himself mentally into the fight, challenging them both at the same time, predicting their movements, reacting to them. In his mind, it took mere seconds to deal a potentially mortal blow to both of them. Hearing a muffled blow, he snapped out of his trance, one of the students now lying on the floor, his hands on his shoulder.

"That's it for today", their teacher announced, "Kazuma, get your shoulder checked out at the medical post and next time, don't drop your defence".

As Nakajima approached the sparring room, he saw four of his students watch the junior class fight, the new guy one of them.

"Looks like he's made himself some friends already", he thought, hoping that he'd also have some enemies already. That would make sure they didn't hold back during the sparring. He didn't like to do it to his students, but it was a necessary evil. If they were to survive in the harsh environment where a shinigami's duties took him, he'd need every bit of training he could get, and fights that came as close to reality as possible were absolutely necessary for this. That and fact that he wanted to see the boy's potential up close.

"Get into the training room people", he shouted as he watched more of his students arrive. Noting the intense glare Momiji shot towards Kaito, he assumed that Momiji had been greatly aggravated by Kaito's talent. Instantly, he had decided on one of the match-ups. It would be a fight worth watching, even if it were one between students using boken.

Watching the students each take a boken and sit against the wall, he shouted the names for the first pairing.

"First up, Akimoto and Fujiwara, you two, get here and start fighting, first to get a solid hit on the opponent's body wins, use of any hohō or kidō technique is forbidden.", he announced as he moved himself to the side. Even if it were boken, he didn't want to get hit by one.

"Right off the bat eh", Momiji grinned. This couldn't get any better, being faced with the so-called prodigy at his first fight.

"Begin", Nakajima announced. He had barely finished speaking or Momiji rushed at Kaito, holding his sword with one hand, preparing it for a sideways swing. Kaito looked at him, surprise covering his face. He hadn't thought his opponent would be this quick even without shunpō. He ducked out of the way, the wooden sword creating a whistling sound as it passed centimetres over his head. Kaito rolled to his side as his opponent twisted his sword, driving it straight down onto the place where he'd been crouched.

Getting back on his feet, he counterattacked, thrusting his sword directly at Momiji's liver.

Watching Kaito's movements, Momiji had to admit that he was good, really good, but not good enough. He parried the thrust, danced away and struck back, engaging Kaito's sword at the tip. Using his monstrous strength to it's fullest, he pressed on, the blade sliding down to the guard. Kaito however, pulled back his sword, jumping back to use the wall as a support to launch himself over his opponent, slashing at Momiji's neck, missing the target by mere millimetres. He had realised that Momiji was superior in terms of strength, but there was not a snowball's chance in hell that he was faster. Using his speed, he advanced on Momiji and launched attack after attack, all the while dancing out of the way of any counterattack. Momiji on the other hand was growing increasingly frustrated by the fact that even though he had superior strength, he couldn't land even a single blow. All he could do was parry the incoming attacks and even that was steadily growing more difficult, not because he was getting tired, but because it seemed as if Kaito was getting faster with each strike.

"How damn fast is that guy", he cursed as he dodged another attack by mere millimetres.

Noting the frustration on his opponent's face, Kaito pressed his attack. But this time, instead of coming straight at his opponent, he jumped back. Gauging the range, he leapt into the air as hard as he could. Reaching the ceiling, he twisted around in midair and, using the extra leap off the ceiling for extra speed, rocketed towards Momiji.

The ensuing crack resounded in the room. Dazed, Momiji stared at the remainder of his sword, nothing more than a broken stump. Kaito was crouched on the floor, holding an equally devastated boken. The tip of it covered in cloth. As Kaito looked up, he saw what had happened. There was a huge gash in the clothes of his opponent, caused by the ragged tip of his broken sword.

"Well, this is a first", Nakajima said, breaking the silence that had followed the last attack.

"I'll consider this to be a draw, since neither combatant has received an injury and both have lost their weapons."

Cursing, Momiji threw his broken sword to the side and went to sit against the wall. Angered by the fact that he'd been unable to defeat his opponent, more so, it was Kaito that had launched the last attack, the one that had broken his sword. Had it been a real fight, he'd have lost to that damn new guy.

As Kaito went to the wall, he saw both Emi and Miharu hold up both their thumbs.

"Hey Kaito-kun, want to fight one of these days?", Miharu asked him, looking as excited as if she'd just been given a huge plate of her favourite food.

"Thanks but no thanks, I'd rather not fight a friend of mine, even if it's training", he declined, Emi's warning still fresh in his mind.

"Awwwwww", Miharu pouted, but she lit up the moment she heard Nakajima-sensei call out her name.

As she started walking to face her opponent, a guy that was obviously shaking in his boots, Kaito started a conversation with Emi concerning his fight with Momiji, one that continued during the whole class, only to pause when she was called out herself. The end result of the training session was one draw, two wins and one loss for their group.

With both Emi and Miharu winning their fights with relative ease and Midorikawa, as predicted by both Emi and Miharu, losing miserably.

The following kidō training was different though. While training a simple kidō spell, hadō no 4, Byakurai, both Emi and Kaito scoring very good marks, Emi had been teaching Kaito a bit about them beforehand, both destroying their targets, while Miharu didn't even manage to produce even the slightest spark, causing her to walk back to her place sulking after having been reprehended by the teacher. Midorikawa on the other hand was obviously frustrated about his melee skills, or lack thereof, and started his preparations.

"Bone of a straggling beast, spire, crimson crystal, disc of steel, when the wind shifts, and the emptiness ceases, let the clash of lances resonate through the relinquished castle", he chanted.

The teacher responded immediately by casting a defensive barrier between Midorikawa and the rest of the students to prevent any debris from hitting bystanders, most of them diving either behind some pillars or fellow students as Midorikawa fired the spell.

"Hadō no 63, Raikōhō", Midorikawa shouted, as he was enveloped by a bright yellow light, followed by a massive yellow lightning strike shooting out of his hand, racing across the training area and hitting the target dead on, causing a massive explosion, blinding everyone.

The shockwave that followed annihilated every single window within a 100-meter radius and threw up massive amounts of dust that left most of the students coughing as they struggled to prevent the fine dust from entering their respiratory system.

As the smoke and dust cleared, it became clear what kind of devastation Midorikawa had caused. All of the targets had been blasted away, smoking stumps in the ground the only testament to their former presence, the wall behind the devastated targets had also been wrecked, the smouldering ruins causing the entire training area to look as if a rampaging giant had just passed through.

"Well, Midorikawa, as always, perfect marks", the teacher coughed, "but next time, please try to stick to the designated spell please".

Midorikawa only nodded as he turned and walked back to his place between the other students, who were now looking at him as if he were some sort of kidō god.

"Well, I guess that confirms the rumours", Kaito said to Emi, as he proceeded to shake the dust out of his hair, Emi doing the same.

"I told you he could beat anyone here in a kidō fight hands down", she replied.

"Yeah, but I didn't think he'd be capable of causing this much havoc with a single spell", Kaito breathed as he looked around.

"Remind me never to piss him off would you Emi-chan?".

"Likewise"

As the rest of the students went either to their quarters or the cafeteria, both Kaito and Emi ran off to train some more on one of the fields. Miharu dragging Midorikawa to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

"So how was his performance?", the headmaster asked Nakajima-sensei.

"It was more than I had expected, he was able to fight equally with Akimoto during the spar and I received reports from my fellow teachers that he scored exceptionally good marks on both hohō and kidō. I can say with certainty that he will be able to join the Gotei 13 is he keeps this up. I might even end up recommending him myself".

"There will be no need for you to recommend him Nakajima-sensei", the headmaster said.

"Yoshikune Taichō has seen fit to request him to take the place of 3rd seat in the ninth Division the moment he leaves the Academy."

"You mean Yoshikune Taichō has actually requested that?", Nakajima asked the headmaster, his tone indicating his shock. It was almost unheard of anyone being requested to join a squad by the captain himself while he was still in the academy.

"Well, I think I can believe why, after having seen him in action. His current abilities are extraordinary, but his potential is virtually unlimited. It's downright scary if you think about how strong he can become".

"Indeed, and it's our job to train him to the best of our abilities", the headmaster added.

"But what about the excursion to the real world? Shall we allow him to participate in it?"

"I believe so, if he shows this type of progress after only two days, then he should have outclasses practically everyone here within a few weeks. Don't worry Nakajima-sensei, he'll do fine."

"If you say so sir", Nakajima said, as he bowed to the headmaster before exiting the room.

Kaito entered his room, his fatigued body barely capable of supporting him. It was dark outside. He and Emi had been practising ever since the kidō lesson, only pausing for half an hour to go and eat something in the cafeteria. He sighed, it was fun to learn all the techniques and to use them, but being this fatigued was something he didn't really like that much. He showered and let himself crash onto his bed. As he laid there, staring at the ceiling, his mind wandered all over the place. What would be happening from now on, how would the days go by? He wondered if he'd be capable of sparring with Emi as he had done today. Suddenly he was reminded about the mentioning of her family name, it was spoken about as if she were nobility, in fact, she was, if he were to believe the comment made by Momiji, the heir to her family. All this worried him, what if she were to be reassigned, he didn't think there would be anyone as good a tutor as she had been.

"I'll ask her about it tomorrow", he thought as slowly, his eyelids closed and he drifted off in a peaceful sleep.

In the meantime, in another block of the dormitory, Emi was laying on her bed as well, pondering about the future. Wondering about her future as heir of the Shimizu clan, she started questioning herself. What if she wasn't powerful enough, what if she failed in her duties. What if she disappointed her parents, her loving parents that had supported her all this time, encouraging her to go on, to push her limits. She loved them, but now that Kaito had appeared in her life, everything was suddenly shattered. All her hopes and dreams of becoming a top shinigami had vanished the moment he had demonstrated that first shunpō. Was she worthy of being a shinigami when he had outclassed her so easily, after only two days. Even in sparring she had barely been able to keep him from scoring a hit, while she had only managed one. Not to mention the fact that the more they fought, the harder it became for her to dodge his blows. In the end she had told him to stop, her excuse being that she was too tired to keep on fighting, the real reason was something different altogether. She had become scared of him again, scared of his growth, his speed, his power, his potential. It had taken every ounce of her willpower to keep herself from shaking at the sight of him.

She sighed, "What am I to do about all this? I guess I'll talk to him a bit tomorrow, perhaps getting to know him a bit better will calm me down. At least then I'll know that he's a person, not some kind of …", she broke off, cursing herself for almost having called him something she should never call him, even if it were in her mind.

"I can't think about him like that, I just can't", she told herself, slamming her hands into her temples as if she were punishing her sub consciousness. It wasn't until late that night that she too, drifted away in a peaceful slumber.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kaito was awoken that morning by a loud banging on the door. Trying to shake off the last remainders of the fog that sleep had caused to float in his mind, he got up and walked to the door. He opened it, only to find Emi almost hammering on his chest instead of the door. Suddenly, she blushed, still a bit groggy it took him a while to realise why, he was standing in the opening wearing nothing more than is undies. Feeling a blush creep up to his face as well, he slammed the door shut and shot into his clothes. After having combed his hair and having double-checked that there wasn't anything that could possibly embarrass him any more, he opened the door again, Emi still waiting outside, an angry expression on her face.

"I was expecting you to be up at the same time as yesterday you know, not to mention you almost slammed the door in my face", she scowled.

"Sorry", he hastily apologised, "but I was tired after our practise of last night and I forgot to turn it on".

"Whatever, we've wasted enough time already, so come on, let's get going", she said as she grabbed his hand and proceeded to drag him through the corridors. She had decided to talk to him during the evening, not wanting to potentially ruin a perfect morning with some sort of hysteric rant.

Some people, awakened by all the noise, curiously stuck their heads onto the hallway, only to see the one prodigy dragged along by the other. One of them, Sakamoto Susumu, recognising his two classmates, only shook his head and retreated to the silence and calm of his bed, muttering about the fact that he'd been awoken by the two lovebirds as everyone called them nowadays.

After having finished their morning training regimen, Kaito and Emi went to the cafeteria, encountering Miharu and Midorikawa on the way. Having enjoyed a meal that proved a little more challenging than Kaito had thought, fending off the ever present threat of Miharu's chopsticks was something that took considerable skill, they went to the classroom.

"As you all know", Nakajima-sensei started, "there'll be an excursion to the real world in a few weeks where you'll be patrolling the streets and, if necessary, fighting hollows. But since this will be your first real assignment in the real world, the others being fights with dummy hollow, I want you all to be properly prepared. For this purpose, I've asked the Kidō corps to do me a favour. They've set up this Senkai gate for us. It's capable to transfer two persons at once to a separate dimension and hold them there until a specific condition is met or the persons have suffered serious injury. You will be going inside in groups of two, naturally. The person you're assigned to will also be your partner in the patrol that is going to take place in a few weeks, but since we're with an uneven number, I was forced to ask someone from another class to come with us on the excursion and naturally, he'll participate in this exercise as well. If he's here that is. Michishige Masaya?"

Quick steps outside the door indicated the hurried approach of someone.

"Yes, I'm here", the boy said as he slid open the door to the classroom, "I'm sorry I'm late".

"Get to your seat please, you know why you're here so I won't have to explain everything again", the teacher said in a strict tone, obviously not happy with the tardy arrival of the temporary member of his class.

"Yeesh, he's so not cute", Miharu pouted as she watched him pick a place amongst the rest of the class.

"You got that right", Emi commented.

Kaito had to agree, he didn't look like a shinigami at all. His bulky body indicating that he had little muscle, but noticing the way he was out of breath, Kaito decided that he didn't use the little he had all that often. His face didn't look any better though, his round face giving him somewhat of a nerdy look, and to top it off, there was short blonde hair decorating the top of his head.

"Well now", Nakajima-sensei continued, "I'm going to announce your group and the order in which you'll enter the room. Please take care not to do anything that might disrupt the entrance, these separate dimensions are quite difficult to set up. Inside the dimension you'll find a real low level hollow that has been captured. Your goal is to defeat it without suffering too much harm yourself. Taking the level of the hollow and your own level into account, you shouldn't have too many difficulties with it, but still, be careful".

"First group", the teacher called, "Tanaka and Midorikawa, get inside please".

"Yaaaay", Miharu cheered as she jumped from her seat, happy to be the first to enter the room. Midorikawa being, as usual, less enthusiastic about the fact.

"Those two are always together aren't they?", Kaito asked.

"They're childhood friends, they've been together for as far as I can remember", Emi explained, 'there's not a change that you'll see one of them without the other being within twenty feet of the other. They also complement their abilities quite well. Miharu-chan is capable of rapid strikes, but since she's quite small, her strikes sometimes lack power, and that's where Ryouji-kun comes in. He's capable of performing devastating kidō strikes while Miharu-chan holds the enemy at bay".

"I see", Kaito nodded as he watched them appear into what seemed to look like an entrance bathed in pure white light.

"Next group, Tatsukawa and Yamato, get ready".

The teacher continued to call the names of people that were assigned to the same group. Akimoto was assigned to a girl called Saruwatari, Kaito and Emi were grouped because of her being his tutor and the new guy, Michishige, was partnered with Sakamoto.

The door opened, bathing the room in light. Miharu and Midorikawa both appearing unharmed, though Midorikawa's sleeve was smoking a bit.

"Kidō spell went a bit out of control", he clarified when he saw the questioning looks on his friend's faces," Level eighty spells really are hard to control".

"He got a bit mad because he couldn't land a hit with his sword on it", Miharu added, much to Midorikawa's chagrin.

Had both Kaito's and Emi's jaw not been attached firmly to their head, they would've crashed clean through their desks when they heard the comment. Amazed, they immediately overwhelmed him with questions about when he learned how to do spells of that level and how he controlled them.

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they hardly noticed their fellow students enter and leave the separate dimension, some having suffered minor cuts. It wasn't until they heard a blood curling scream that they turned their heads to see what had been going on. A few minutes after Akimoto and Saruwatari had entered the dimension, they had appeared again, Saruwatari lying on the floor, bathed in blood that was flowing out of a gash in her back and Akimoto sitting on the floor in shock, his eyes wide open in horror as he stared at the grievously injured girl that had walked in besides him mere minutes beforehand, not noticing the growing pool of blood that slowly crept closer to his clothes, threatening to stain them with it's crimson color.

Having quite a bit of experience with unforeseen consequences of his type of lesson, Nakajima instantly reacted when he saw the girl's injuries, immediately contacting the detachment of the fourth division via hell butterfly and then starting to apply first aid with his own healing powers. By the time the medics arrived, he had stopped the bleeding and stabilised the girl.

"Take care, she's still in danger", he said as they carried her off.

"Akimoto", Nakajima said sternly, "after this class is over, you're going to come with me and tell me exactly what happened in there, understood?"

Still shocked by the events that had occurred in the previous minute or so, the boy nodded and slowly returned to his seat.

"Next group, Fujiwara and Shimizu, get in, it's your turn", the teacher said, turning his head away from the pool of blood, a silent witness to the departure of the injured girl.

Kaito got up immediately, but noticed the hesitation in Emi, the sight of the girl having shaken her to her very core. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her on her feet and towards the gateway.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine, you're the best student of this class remember?", Kaito encouraged her.

"For now yeah", she said under her breath, Kaito not hearing what she had said. Nevertheless, she shook off her doubt, having seen what fear had obviously done to that girl, Emi decided that she wouldn't suffer the same fate.

She unconsciously gripped the hilt of her zanpakutō as they approached the senkai gate, the opening of it bathing the immediate surroundings in an eerie white light.

"let's go", she said as she entered the gate, Kaito following her closely.

"Next group, get yourselves ready to enter the gate", Nakajima called, "Michishige and Sakamoto, get up front".

With an audible sigh, Sakamoto stood up. Michishige did the same, only he failed to notice that he'd placed his foot on his own shihakushō. The resulting crash sent a tremor through the classroom as he collided with the entrance to the training dimension, which closed immediately. Inside the gate, Kaito and Emi were both too busy fighting the hollow to notice the ripple that went through the dimensional fabric.

"Ok, that concludes it, you're an idiot", Sakamoto said as his clumsy partner rose to his feet, only to be faced with an extremely agitated Nakajima.

"Michishige, you're coming with me after I've called the kidō corps to come and fix this", he said as he released a hell butterfly, "and you're coming with us Sakamoto, you'll need to train with your partner anyway".

Looking at the broken down gate, he sighed. It would take even the people of the kidō corps hours to get it back open, freeing those trapped inside.

"I thought this damn thing was to let us out when we defeated the hollow in here", Kaito cursed as he slammed his hand onto the closed gateway.

"Apparently not", Emi said as she laid her hand on the senkai gate, "something must've happened in the classroom to have caused the gate to become unstable. I figure they'll call the kidō corps to restore it. We'll just have to wait until then".

"Bloody hell", he growled, smacking the door again, "so, what do we do now? Want to spar a bit?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, we may have defeated that hollow that was waiting for us, but you never know what else might show up here".

Kaito sat down, an obvious look of frustration on his face.

"He's not the type to sit down and do nothing I guess", Emi thought as she sat down besides him. She had planned on talking to him after their evening training but since they'd be stuck in here for a while she might as well talk to him now. At least there was a spot of luck in all of this misfortune.

They sat there in silence for a while, just waiting for something to happen.

Emi turned her head, seeing that Kaito had done the same, obviously he too had some things to discuss with her. It looked like they had thought the same thing.

"So where are you from?", she asked just as he was opening his mouth to say something.

He muttered, the fact that Emi had beaten him to the punch irritating him a bit, but he didn't see any reason why he shouldn't answer her question.

"I'm from Tokyo, used to live in the suburbs. Not much to do there though", he smiled, "but that's a thing of the past now, no more going back to life I guess".

She looked at him, his face darkening a bit. She guessed he wasn't going to see his parents anymore, or anyone else from the time he was alive. He had lost everything in a flash.

"And yeah, I've lost everyone I ever knew, but at least I got to meet you and the others", he smiled, the comment causing Emi to blush slightly.

"So, what else do you want to know about me?", he asked, a slight grin on his face.

Emi cursed, she'd been found out by him. But at least she'd be able to maintain some dignity, she could hold her own with words as well.

"Oh, I think just about everything there is to know about you", she said as casual as possible, but she couldn't keep a grin from forming on her face as well.

"I see", Kaito's grin widening even more as he heard her retort.

They stared each other down, but eventually, they both couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.

"No, seriously, I really want to know more about you Kaito-kun", Emi said as she wiped the tears out of her eyes.

"Yeah, I know, but don't worry, I'll tell you everything you want to know".

He began to tell her about the time he was still alive. How his parents were, what they looked like, their behaviour. He told her about his friends, the school, the people in it that he couldn't stand, the teachers. He described every little detail of his life for as far as he could remember it.  
Emi listened to his every word, absorbing it, trying to remember everything he said.

"So where are you from Emi? Also from around Tokyo?", he asked, causing her to snap out of her focus.

"No, I was born here in Soul Society. I've been here all my life", she said, "I've been there a few times on excursions with the academy, but that's nothing compared to the missions some shinigami have to embark on. They stay there for months at a time. Until now, I've only been there for about twenty minutes at a time".

Kaito looked at her as she sighed. He hadn't thought of her being born here, he'd been wondering how that was even possible, when he remembered the people talking about her being the heir of some family.

As he thought about it, he remembered that he still had to ask her about that, and about her being his tutor and all, so he decided to ask it now, they still had plenty of time anyway.

"So what's the deal with being an heir and all that?", he asked.

She looked up, the look of surprise on her face quickly fading.

"That's right, since you're so new here, you don't know about it. In Soul Society, there are several greater and lesser noble houses, each highly respected by almost everyone in Soul Society, especially the shinigami. Nobles usually have higher reiatsu than average and such, most enlist as a shinigami, with the larger portion of the applicants occupying high ranks. The Shimizu clan was only recently admitted to the greater clans, because of outstanding achievements made by my father, who is at this time a taichō in the Gotei 13. As an only child, I'm the only heir at this time and a lot of people, including my father have high hopes for me. But lately, I've become unsure of whether I'm worthy of being the heir to the Shimizu clan".

Kaito growled at himself, he'd noticed something had been wrong as they'd been training, but he'd been unable to pinpoint exactly what it had been. There'd been some delay in her strikes and techniques, some sort of hesitation and now he knew where it had come from. She was considered to be the best student of the senior year, everyone had high expectations of her. Then some guy comes out of nowhere and proves to be just as good as her in some aspects.

Emi kept silent, her knees drawn up, her head between them. He knew he had to do something, and quickly too.

"I'm sorry Emi-chan", he whispered barely loud enough for her to hear.

"What for Kaito-kun?", she raised her head, her eyes reflecting the light emitted by the inside of the dimension. He could see that she was on the verge of tears. Again he cursed at himself for hurting her like this.

"I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble, sorry for making you so unsure of yourself".

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I noticed you were unsure of yourself during the sparring this morning and during the fight with that hollow as well and I think I'm the reason for that, I mean, everyone has such hopes for you and then suddenly, some guy comes out of nowhere and he has, or at least that's what other people said, some amazing abilities. I'd be quite pissed about it as well".

Emi smiled. She hadn't really expected him to apologise. She wiped away the tears that had been forming.  
"No more of this", she steeled herself, "I'm me and no one is going to change that. Acting like this is totally unlike me".

She raised her head, her stare fixed at the white sky present in the dimension.

"Don't worry Kaito-kun, I'm not going to be afraid anymore. From now on I'm not going to hesitate anymore.

Kaito smiled, "That's good to know Emi-chan".

"Don't call me that please, just call me Emi".

"Eh? Why would you want me to …", he asked, but he was cut off when Emi suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips gently against his own.

His eyes opened wide in surprise, though that faded quickly. As the emotions he had kept inside his heart tore free, he felt himself reaching out for her, wrapping his arms around her, returning the kiss. A shiver coursed through his body as he felt the tip of her tongue wriggling it's way between his lips. A gesture he immediately returned. Time seemed to stop for them, as it does for most lovers, while they kissed. It drew their attention to one another, their perception of their surroundings fading completely.

"We've restored the gateway sir", a member of the kidō said to Nakajima. He'd returned to the classroom as soon as he had finished his business with those kids that had messed up the lessons. The Akimoto kid had been transferred so that he could be questioned about what had happened inside the gateway and Michishige and Sakamoto had been instructed to do a full series of exercises.

"Good, open it up so that we can let out the students that got trapped inside", he ordered the men of the kidō corps.

"Hey", he shouted into the opening doorway, "are you all right?"

The look on his face changing abruptly when he saw the scene inside the gate. The two of them were in each others arms, not noticing him and the kidō corps team that were standing in the entrance, some whose jaws were in danger of crashing into the ground, other simply smiling and two of them sighing, hands raised to their heads.

At the sight of them, Nakajima exploded. He couldn't tolerate anything out of conduct in the academy and this was something he hated the most.

"YOU TWO!!", he bellowed. Hearing this, Kaito and Emi broke their fascination for each other and looked at the teacher, a look of surprise and shame on their faces as they saw the entire kidō corps team standing right next to the teacher. They quickly broke apart as Nakajima came into the gateway, grabbed their collars and started dragging them towards the guidance office.

"Ah to be young again", one of the men of the kidō corps smiled, the rest of his team laughing together with him.

Both Kaito and Emi didn't dare to say anything while Nakajima raged on about bad conduct at the academy, the potential risks of having a relationship with a fellow shinigami, not to mention one of the same class.

"You're both very lucky that you're allowed to have a relationship with fellow shinigami here at the academy, but even so, refrain from ever doing something like that in front of others again. If not, I'll take measures to prevent it from happening, ever again. Understood?"

"Yes sir", Emi and Kaito replied at the same time.

"Good, then get out and consider yourselves lucky that you got off with just this. Just make sure you show some restraint in front of others you two".

As they walked out of the office, they let out a sigh and bolted through the hallway.

Watching them, Nakajima sighed, "To be young again, heh, I wish you luck my students, just don't do anything stupid". The students in question didn't hear this though, they were long gone from his sight. In fact, he wouldn't have wanted them to hear him say that kind of line.

"So, you want to spar a bit before the day is over?", Emi asked Kaito as they ran through the corridors at top speed. Causing quite a bit of heads to turn in their direction. Ignoring them, Kaito took the lead and ran towards one of their favourite training grounds as a response.

As they trained, he noticed that the hesitation in Emi's movements was gone completely. The only downside of this was that it was also a lot harder to block her attacks. This and the fact that he couldn't help but glance at her face caused him to be hit quite a bit of times.

"Looks like I got back into shape eh Kaito", she grinned.

"You got that right, but I'll catch up to you Emi", he smiled as he rubbed a sore spot on his shoulder where she had managed to hit him.  
"It's getting late, we better get going. Rumours are going to spread anyway, wouldn't want to add to them", she explained.

"Good point", Kaito nodded in agreement. He didn't want their relationship to be public knowledge either. He just hoped those kidō corps guys could keep their mouths shut for a while. The fact that they'd been locked into a separate dimension by themselves was bad enough.

As they entered the dorm, they took care in avoiding the more populated corridors. Because of this, they managed to arrive at his room with nothing more than a few curious glances in their direction.

"Well, this is where I'll leave you be Kaito", Emi said, a slight undertone of disappointment in her voice.

"Same time tomorrow?", he asked her. Already knowing the answer.

"Of course you dummy", she joked, pressing her finger hard against his forehead.  
She looked around, making sure no one was in the hallway, and quickly kissed him lightly on his lips.  
"Good night Kaito", she said before she darted off towards her own quarters.

Kaito looked at her until she disappeared around a corner. Sighing, he closed the door to his quarters and threw himself onto his bed. Too tired to even think, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Their hopes for the kidō corps people being able to keep their mouths shut was in vain though. The next day the rumour had spread like a wildfire across the entire campus. This much to the annoyance of both Kaito and Emi. They were glad about being friends with Miharu and Midorikawa though. Their annoyed expression because people were looking in their general direction preventing anyone from approaching the couple to ask about the rumour. Their reputations speaking for itself.  
Emi and Kaito had both decided that their two friends should be told the truth, and thus they knew what was going on before the rumour had taken a hold. Their reactions were quite different though. With Midorikawa looking quite indifferent, in sharp contrast with Miharu who was so excited that she only ate half of the usual amount, she didn't even attempt to steal Kaito's food that morning. The questioning that Kaito had suspected didn't happen though, she seemed to be quite considerate about it.

"Don't worry Kaito-kun, the rumour will die out within a few weeks, besides, we're here to keep anyone nosy away. She grinned as she poked Midorikawa, who nodded in agreement.

"Thanks Miharu-chan", Emi smiled, resulting in a thumbs-up from Miharu.

Over the next weeks both Emi and Kaito didn't have a lot of time to be together though. The preparations for the ever closing excursion to the real world taking up a lot of time.

But finally, after weeks of preparation, it was time.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Right, you've all been assigned your patrol sector", Nakajima-sensei shouted at the group that was standing in front of him.

Every student of the senior year was present, with each class standing in front of it's representative teacher. They had relinquished their normal academy clothes and had put on the standard shinigami uniform. All of them had their zanpakuto with them, most hanging from their sides, but some carried them on their backs.

"Sheesh, I never knew that there were this many students in the senior year", Kaito whistled through his teeth.

They stood in front of the main academy senkai gate, the sheer number of students causing the square in front of it to be almost completely full.

"Fujiwara, be quiet", Nakajima barked, causing Kaito to straighten up right away, "I don't care if you're one of the best students present here, if you don't watch out in the real world, even you could get yourself killed in a flash, and that would have some grave consequences for your tutor right?"

The comment made a ripple of laughter flow through the crowd. In the weeks between the Senkai gate accident and now, the fact that he had a relationship with Emi had, much to his annoyance, become public knowledge. He decided to ignore the comment, but shot some of the more annoying students a glare.

"If looks could kill", Emi whispered in his ear, "cool down Kaito, leave them be".

"Fine", he shrugged, going against Emi was something he almost never did unless he had a very good reason.

"As I said, stick to your designated sector and always watch each other's backs. There is a reason why you've been teamed up with someone else. Your main goal is to patrol the area and to take out any hollow that might appear. Do not take any unnecessary risks though. If you see you're outclassed, retreat to one of the support posts immediately, no sense in dying here. Now, class one, move out!"

"Yes sir", the entire class shouted in chorus. As the best class of the senior year, they had the privilege of being the first to be deployed. As they began running towards the gate, each pair was assigned a hell butterfly to be able to move through to the real world.

"Calm down Kaito", Emi said as she gently squeezed his hand. He hadn't even noticed that he'd been shaking a bit. This excursion was something special to him. The sector he'd been assigned to was the place where he used to live. The chance of seeing someone he knew was quite real. He didn't even care that they couldn't see him.

He wondered how everyone was doing.

As he approached the gateway, he looked back at the academy. Students from the other classes were already approaching. It was a grand sight, a total of well over two hundred students walking towards the gate, on to what some called their first mission.

"Hey Kaito, can I ask you to do me a favour?", Emi asked, "after this is over, could you come to my place for a while? I'd like to introduce you to my parents if that's ok with you".

"Sure, I'd like to meet them as well", he grinned as they walked through the gate.

Not a word was spoken as they walked through the severed world, the interdimensional space. Every student was preparing his mind for the upcoming patrol and possibly, the upcoming fights. With such a large number of shinigami around a reasonably limited area, some hollows were sure to be attracted. In the past, there had even been reports of some Menos appearing during the excursion. For that reason, there was always a taichō on standby in the main control post during the patrol. A large complement of the fourth was also ready to intervene should there be any serious injuries. They were escorted by a small detachment of the eleventh, the only reason for them babysitting the fourth being the possibility for a fight with some hollow. Emi had explained the functions and specialisations of the different divisions to him during breakfast. She had warned him of the eleventh though, they were infamous for their aggressiveness.

Preparing his mind, he almost bumped into Emi who had stopped in front of the exit.

"We're here, prepare yourself Kaito", she said.

"Right, let's go".

As the gate opened, they both gripped their zanpakutō, ready to draw it at the first sign of trouble. The main control post was bursting with activity. Shinigami running all around, medics from the fourth setting up a field hospital and preparing to take care of any injured. Kaito also noticed several groups of silhouettes on top of the buildings around the command post.

"Those must be the guys of the eleventh", he thought when suddenly a man wearing a white haori walked past. At first, he though it was Yoshikune Taichō, but when he saw the man's face, he noticed that it was someone else altogether. He had about the same muscular build as Yoshikune Taichō but there were several differences. Yoshikune's hair was brown, his eyes the same colour. This man had jet-black hair with blue eyes. He too had an overwhelming presence though. Some of the weaker students in Kaito's class moved back a bit as the man passed in front of them.

"Tetsuo Taichō", Emi whispered in awe.

"Is that his name?", Kaito asked her as he studied the man. His appearance wasn't menacing, but he felt an odd sense of discomfort. Suddenly he noticed the taichō's zanpakutō. It was completely normal with the sheath being the exception. It was as if someone had assaulted it with a sledgehammer. Cracks ran over the entire length of the sheath, large chunks were missing and through some of them, you could even see the blade. Why someone as powerful as a taichō would have a sheath like that baffled him and immediately he realised where his sense of discomfort had been coming from. There was something ominous about that blade, but it wasn't the looks that put him on edge. It felt like something inside that blade was doing it's best to break free.

"Allright, Fujiwara and Shimizu, you know where your sector is right, move out", one of the mission coordinators said.

Kaito averted his gaze from Tetsuo Taichō and focused on the mission at hand. He'd need every bit of his concentration for it.

Using shunpō, they quickly moved towards their designated sector. Kaito consciously keeping his speed in check so that Emi would be able to keep up with him. He had her beat when it came to speed and power, but she still had the best technique of the two of them.

As they came to a halt on one of the taller buildings of their sector. Kaito looked up at the sun that was bathing everyone and everything with it's warm glow. It was nice outside, not too cold and not too warm, all in all, a perfect day. Taking in their surroundings, he remembered fragments of his life. His old school, his friends and family. He didn't think of the long though, for he had long come to peace with the fact that he was now a shinigami. His place was with them, not down there with the rest of those still alive.

Emi on the other hand had some more difficulty in focussing on the patrol. The previous excursions had all been at night in secure areas with no humans around. The change was overwhelming to her and it wasn't until Kaito tugged slightly on her sleeve that she snapped out of her fascination with the living world.

"When we're on a mission as real shinigami, I'll teach you about the real world", he grinned at her, "now let's go, we've got an area to patrol".

Nodding in agreement, Emi followed him as he jumped off towards another building.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Momiji asked the girl that was running next to him.

"Yes, I'm sure Akimoto-san", the girl replied, her voice steady.

Trusting her to her word, Momiji continued to run across their sector, the girl following him. He'd been worried about her while she'd been in the hospital. When they had entered the gate during the training session, the sight of the hollow had caused her to freeze completely. The hollow had noticed this and had shifted it's initial attack from Momiji towards Saruwatari. Only Momiji's attack keeping it from staking her on one of it's appendages. But no matter how hard he had tried, taking on that hollow and defending his paralysed partner proved to be impossible to him and had eventually resulted in the beast slashing her across the back. At that time, the dimension had released them back into the classroom where only the timely intervention of Nakajima-sensei had saved the girl's life. Afterwards, Momiji and Saruwatari had been training extensively and the girl had sworn never to freeze up ever again. She had guts, he had to admit, most students that had that kind of reaction when faced with a real hollow never recovered from the shock and usually gave up on being shinigami.

It didn't take them long to find their first hollow though. The sight of it causing a shiver to run through Saruwatari's body. Noticing this, Momiji wanted to ask if she was all right but she instantly provided the answer to that question by launching a devastating attack on it. In a matter of seconds, the unfortunate hollow had been reduced to nothing but a pile of already dissolving spiritual matter. The pure fury of the attack had stunned Momiji, it was as if he was looking at a different person altogether.

"You all right?", he asked, only to receive a thumbs up from Saruwatari who was grinning from ear to ear.

"I still owed them that", she said, pointing at the place where the other hollow had got to her.

Grinning widely, he motioned her to follow.

"Well then, let's go find some more shall we", he told the girl.

"Is everything in order in your sector Tanaka?", the voice of one of the men back in the main camp came over the radio they'd been handed when they had left on their patrol.

"We're seeing a lot of explosions in your area, is everything still ok?".

"Don't worry mister", Miharu cheered over the radio, "Ryou-kun is just a bit mad because one of the hollow we encountered tore his sleeve, now he's venting his anger on them".

Back at the main camp, the shinigami that had been communicating with the Tanaka/Midorikawa team looked up from his communicator as he heard a voice shouting over the radio.

"Hadō no 73, Sōren Sōkatsui!!".

The explosion that followed was loud enough to be heard by just about anyone taking part in the excursion and caused quite a bit of heads to turn in the direction of Midorikawa's patrol sector where several plumes of smoke were now climbing steadily.

"Now if you would excuse me mister communicator, I want to get my share of the hollow too", Miharu's voice came over the radio. The operator still stunned by the fact that there was actually a student that could cast such high level spells using chantless incantation.

Having heard the explosion coming from Midorikawa's and Tanaka's sector, all of the students of the first class stopped abruptly. A grin appearing on the majority of their faces.

"Looks like Midorikawa is venting his anger on hollow again", Sakamoto sighed.

"What do you mean?", Michishige asked, not believing that one of his fellow students had caused that explosion.

"I guess you don't know do you, that Midorikawa guy from our class is a true kidō master. He can already cast several level seventy and eighty spells without their incantation. In a sense, he's just as scary as the other people he's with, meaning Shimizu, Tanaka and Fujiwara. All four of them can be counted amongst the most powerful students in the academy's history. Personally, I think each and every one of them is going to be a seated officer at the very least".

Hearing Sakamoto talk like this about his fellow students, Michishige's face turned as white as a sheet. He just couldn't believe there were actually monsters like that in the first class of the senior year. He himself was one of the top students of the second class and even so it seemed that there was a huge gap between him and the students of the first class.

"Oi, don't look so depressed dude", Sakamoto shouted at him, "I think they're monsters too you know. Now look sharp, we've got a hollow incoming".

They felt it long before they saw it. The hollow didn't attempt to hide it's presence, it seemed as if it was taunting them.

"What do you think Kaito?", Emi asked him as they carefully approached the hollow's location.

"It's strong, of that there's no doubt, but we can take it. Even our individual power is higher than his so the two of us shouldn't have any problem taking it on".

"Let's go", he shouted as he used his shunpō to quickly close remaining distance with the hollow, Emi doing the same.

It was hideous. The sight of the thing reminded him of the hollow that had attacked and killed him. The hollow that they had faced inside the training dimension had looked like a finalist of a beauty contest compared to this one. Appendages were sticking out of various places from it's slime covered body. The putrid smell that it exuded made them gag.

"That is one ugly son of a …", Kaito cursed as he fought back a wave of nausea.

"Tell me about it", Emi said, covering her nose in an attempt to keep out the foul odour that tried to invade her system.

"All right, let's take down this walking sewer", Kaito growled. He had quite enough of looking at the bloody thing, not to mention the smell.

He broke into a run, sword raised above his head. Noticing the assault, the hollow lashed out using a few of it's appendages. In the time it took to blink, they had slashed viciously at Kaito, only to hit nothing but air. To Kaito, it seemed as if the tentacles slowly crawled their way towards him, leaving him plenty of time to dodge. Small splatters of the slime covering the appendages also flew towards him. Not taking any chances, he decided to dodge them too and proceeded to cut the source of them down to size. He swung his sword downwards onto one of the appendages, his blade cleaving through it like a hot knife through butter. From the corner of his eye, he saw Emi approach the head of the creature.

Understanding her intention, he distracted the hollow by cleaving off even more of the appendages, causing it to howl in pain as blood spurted from the remaining stumps. Distracted by the pain in it's appendages, the hollow failed to notice the edge of a sword carving into it's mask. It wasn't until the pain in it's head became more intrusive than that of the remaining stumps that it directed it's attention towards it's front but by then it was already too late for the hollow. Emi's sword was steadily cleaving it's way through the mask and the hollow's head beneath it. As if to enhance her final motion, Emi shouted as she dragged her sword downwards, slicing it's head clean in half. It's head effectively split in two, the hollow faded quickly, taking the stench with it.

"Well, that wasn't too hard", Emi said, sheathing her sword again.

"Yeah, but this damned goo won't come off my blade", Kaito cursed as he struggled to wipe off the slime from the hollow's appendages. Using a piece of cloth given to him by Emi, he finally managed to wipe off the sticky substance coating his zanpakutō.

"I sure hope the other hollow's we'll encounter won't be as disgusting as this one", Kaito said as he sheathed his sword.

"Likewise", Emi agreed. As most girls, she hated things as disgusting as that hollow.

As they prepared themselves to leave, they suddenly felt another wave of reiatsu wash over them.

"Looks like there's more to the east", Kaito grinned at Emi, "let's go".

Elsewhere, some other shinigami trainees had some more difficulties in taking down the hollow in their sectors though. Several injured students were starting to pour into the main camp as Tetsuo walked from one post to another. There were more injured than usual, but everything was still well under control. The eleventh was doing a fine job securing the perimeter and the fourth were healing as fast as they could. They had even sent some of the healed students back into the field.

Tetsuo looked up as he felt several powers clash, some of them fading. He could only hope that none of the students were amongst the fading powers.

"Tetsuo Taichō", a voice suddenly called out from behind him.

Turning around to see the source of it, he noticed his fukutaichō running towards him.

Her blonde hair bouncing up and down with every step. If it had been anyone but her, he'd have thought that she was just happy to see him, but the usual seriousness in her pale blue eyes indicated that, as was always the case when she came running towards him like that, there was something wrong.

"Easy now Chisaki-chan", he told her as she tried to catch her breath and talk to him at the same time.

"Tetsuo Taichō", she said, still breathing hard. She'd obviously sprinted around the entire camp to find him.

"There's something wrong sir, the number of hollow appearing is far too large, if we don't pull back the students now, I'm afraid they'll get caught by those hollow".

"I see, all right, tell all the students patrolling the area to retreat to base camp right away. We'll send out the eleventh to intercept any pursuing hollow. Chisaki, you stay here and coordinate the operation, I'll go and try to distract the hollow while the rest of the students retreats".

Kikkawa Chisaki saluted and ran off to the command post to organise the retreat.

"Right, let's get to work", Handa Tetsuo said, looking at the buildings where the students were fighting.

"Something's wrong", Sakamoto said as he drew his sword free from the head of a fallen hollow.

"Eh, what do you mean Sakamoto-san?", Michishige asked while cleaning off his blade.

"I've read the reports of previous patrols. The number of hollow encountered by a single patrol was never higher than four, we've already taken care of eight hollow so far. I'm going to contact command and ask about our situation".

He took out the communicator provided to him by the communications team when it suddenly crackled to life, the voice of the operator in the main camp being slightly distorted by some atmospheric clutter.

"All patrols, return to the command post immediately, repeat, all patrols are to return to the command post immediately".

Noting the slight undertone of worry in the operator's voice, Sakamoto noticed right away that something had gone wrong.

"Michishige, let's go. No use in staying here only to be eaten by some hollow".

This comment caused a shiver to run down Michishige's spine. He'd only just overcome his fear of facing a real live hollow when he suddenly was told that if they didn't retreat right away, they'd be eaten by one of them.

"R-right, we better get moving then", he replied, his voice a bit shaky.

Just as they were about to start moving though, a wave of reiatsu swept over them.

Stunned, they looked behind them to find the source of the power, only to be faced with an entire horde of hollow dashing towards their position.

"Son of a …, Michishige, RUN!!", Sakamoto shouted as he switched to full throttle, racing across the rooftops. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his partner right behind him, the hollow however, were also right on their tails.

Michishige Masaya was the son of a lesser noble. He'd never been blessed with an extraordinary courage or strength, but even so, he was a decent shinigami. Or at least, that was what he'd thought. He could never have imagined himself being caught in a situation like this, being chased by an entire horde of hollow. He was lucky though, that even when he was scared, his senses as a shinigami didn't fail him. Feeling a slight disturbance in the air behind him, he instinctively ducked out of the way, causing several bolts shot from one of the hollow to whistle past his ear, one of them taking a small piece of his ear with it. He let out a small yelp, but kept on running nevertheless.

"Come on, we're almost there", Sakamoto shouted as the main encampment came into view. Their legs had long gone numb, fear now being the only thing that drove them onwards.

Looking over his shoulder, Sakamoto noticed some of the hollow catching up with them, appendages raised, ready to impale his partner the moment he came into range. He was about to shout a warning to his companion when suddenly several bright flashes of light coming out of the encampment came racing towards them. Striking the pursuing hollow, they left nothing but smoking carcasses and severed limbs. Immediately the air was filled with the putrid stench of burning flesh. Sakamoto heard several incapacitated hollow cry out in agony, the rest couldn't be heard, they were either dead or had fled. Judging from the amount of corpses lying in the vicinity, he judged that there weren't that many survivors.

"You two, get to the encampment, now", one of the perimeter guards shouted.

"I like to fight, but when are those bloody assholes from the other companies going to learn that they have to leave us some as well. If they keep on taking out these hollow with their kidō before we can even get there I'm going to give them a piece of my mind", one of the sentries cursed as he kicked one of the immobilised hollow.

"Shut your trap Ito, we'll get to see plenty of action later on if you ask me", one of his comrades growled as he finished off some of the remaining hollow, the rest of the team doing the same.

"I sure hope you're right man, I'd hate to sit here and do nothing with all this action going", the man replied, prodding a hollow with the tip of his sword.

"Hey, what the hell are you guys still doing here", the man suddenly shouted as he noticed that Sakamoto and Michishige were still around.

Not wanting to unleash the wrath of someone from the eleventh division, they hurried towards the encampment.

"You two, report to your teacher, they're at communications over there", a guard pointed as he saw the two students running into the camp.

Nodding in acknowledgement, the two of them quickly made their way across the camp. Activity was all around them, members of the fourth carrying off injured students, several perimeter teams re-supplying. Arriving at the communications section of the camp, they saw Nakajima-sensei look up and tick off two names on the list he was carrying.

"Good, Sakamoto and Michishige, you're here. Now we only need to wait for three groups".

"Who's still out there sensei?", Michishige asked, wondering about what had become of their fellow students.

"The only ones remaining outside are Fujiwara and Shimizu, Tanaka and Midorikawa and Akimoto and Saruwatari, but I see that Akimoto and Saruwatari have just arrived, splendid".

The two other students entered the communications section just as Nakajima ticked off their names from the list.

"Who's still out?", Momiji asked.

"Fujiwara-san, Shimizu-san, Tanaka-san and Midorikawa-san, that's all for as far as I know", Sakamoto answered his classmate's question.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me", Saruwatari grinned.

"Yeah, figures those guys would stay for as long as they could".

"That's not true Akimoto-san", Michishige said, his voice trembling with worry about his fellow students, "they could have been ambushed or even worse".

"Listen to me pal, you're not from our class so you haven't seen them in action yet, but I have, so trust me when I tell you that they'll be fine. Heck, they might even bring themselves a trophy", Akimoto laughed, Saruwatari being the only one noticing the hint of malice in his voice.

"All right you guys, enough with the chatter. Everyone else has started to go back to the academy, I suggest you do the same. Get back and clean yourselves up, you guys are a mess".

"Yes sir", the students shouted in unison as they turned around and headed towards the gate. Only then did they notice how dirty they looked, or at least, how dirty Saruwatari and Akimoto looked, compared to them, Michishige an Sakamoto looked like they'd just finished preparing themselves for a fancy party. Though all of them had the occasional blood spatter on their clothes, Saruwatari's clothes looked as if they'd been dyed a deep crimson, Akimoto's being not too far behind.

"What in the world happened to you guys", Michishige asked as he watched their clothes, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"We ran into some hollows and Saruwatari-chan here kind of went berserk, so I just followed her", Akimoto grinned as they continued to walk towards the gate.

They were still chatting the moment they went through the gate, on their way home to get some well earned rest.

"Ok, who else is missing Nakajima-sensei?", Chisaki asked as she entered the communications section.

"Apart from two teams of my own class, everyone is accounted for. Some have some injuries but nothing serious".

"Any word on those two teams?"

"No, not a thing. We tried to contact them a while back, but we didn't get a response".

"Don't worry sensei, my Taichō is out there looking for them as we speak".

"I know, I just hope he gets to them in time. With this number of hollow there's no telling what'll happen".

As he looked towards the sector where his missing students were supposed to be, he sighed.

"Come back alive you kids", were the only words that escaped his mouth before he went back to work, trying to contact them again.

The sky however, was already turning dark.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Having heard the first warning, Kaito and Emi immediately attempted to retreat towards the camp, only to be cut off by an overwhelming number of hollow.

"Shit, we'll never break through there", Kaito cursed as he sliced through one of the more audacious hollow.

"I'm still hearing explosions coming from Miharu-chan's position, looks like they're still here as well, I suggest we go and meet up with them Kaito", Emi said as she jumped back, evading an attack that had threatened to slice her throat.

"Good idea, it'll be easier to defend ourselves with more people, and Midorikawa's kidō is the perfect signal flare", Kaito said, grinning widely.

They kept on evading attacks from the large number of hollow that was chasing them as they made their way towards their friends, taking out any hollow that dared wander in their path.

Finally, after several minutes and at least twice the amount of hollow, they found their comrades. They too had been surrounded, but without the loud bangs to use as a beacon, they had been unable to move towards Kaito and Emi.

"You need any help guys?", Kaito asked as they came into sight, only to see Miharu throw her sword directly at his head. Cursing, he dodged and he was about to yell at her when he noticed the hollow directly behind him, Miharu's sword sticking out of one of it's eye-sockets.

"Bloody hell", he shouted as Miharu appeared behind him, grabbing the hilt of her sword and violently drawing it upwards, slicing most of the hollow's head in two, causing blood to splatter all around.

He barely managed to get out of the way of the blood, only to find several bolts of lightning flashing over his shoulders, impaling any hollow on their path, leaving nothing but seared flesh and spasming muscles in their wake.

"Kaito, you're in the way, move it", Midorikawa shouted, obviously agitated. Noticing his torn clothes, Kaito could guess why.

As he jumped out of the way, Midorikawa shot off several other bolts at the oncoming horde, Miharu taking care of any hollow that managed to get past the massive barrage he was unleashing.

"I can see now why they were paired up", Kaito grunted. He was obviously useless down there and he didn't like it.

"Kaito, against this number of hollow, Miharu'll need some help defending Midorikawa. You're better in the air, so you take that area, I'll take any hollow that come from the rear or sides", Emi said as she took up a defensive position near Midorikawa.

Guessing their intent, Miharu shifted her entire attention forward, where several hollow were threatening to break Midorikawa's perimeter.

"Hold them off for a minute would you", Midorikawa shouted as he bent over a bit.

With the constant blasting of Midorikawa halted, all of the hollow that had been in cover suddenly burst out at the same time, trying to take advantage of the temporary halt in the kidō storm.

"What the hell are you doing Midorikawa", Kaito shouted as he slashed at any hollow threatening to break their perimeter, giving every single one of them nasty gashes across their bodies or heads, usually taking them out.

"Just keep them off and shut up, I need to focus for this".

"No use trying to talk sense into him when he's like that Kaito-kun", Miharu shouted as she struggled with a few hollow.

"I'll try to break through their lines, hang on", Midorikawa shouted as he started chanting.

"Kings of ages, immortality received, bound in darkness. Taken from the living in order to remain, box of living, box of death. Miharu, get out of there, now", he shouted as he finished his chant. Hearing the number of the kidō, both Kaito and Emi almost fell over, the sheer power rushing out of Midorikawa largely being the cause of that.

"Hadō no 90, Kurohitsugi".

Immediately black sheets of reiatsu raised themselves up from the ground up to a height of several dozens of feet, enclosing almost all of the hollow directly in front of Midorikawa. Miharu barely managing to jump out of the way. As the black sarcophagus completed itself, spikes in the same blackish purple colour raised themselves on all sides of the box, only move back into the box, skewering every hollow unfortunate enough to be caught inside.

All of them, Midorikawa excluded, looked in awe as the spell completed it's gruesome work. What remained of the hollow inside was not pretty to look at. There wasn't even a single survivor. Almost every single corpse had been horribly dismembered or even sliced clean in half. The sight of the scene of the massacre caused Emi to gag and even Kaito had to avert his gaze for a moment, only Miharu strangely seemed unaffected by the sight of several dozens of bloody body parts strewn around a path of about 60 feet wide.

"Come on, let's go", Midorikawa cried as he suddenly burst forward towards the gap he had just made in the hollow line. Taking their cue from his action, the rest of his friends joined him in his mad dash forward, their swords discouraging any approaching hollow from attacking. Those that did anyway joined the pile of corpses on the ground.

Seeing the large purple black box appear in the middle of the city was never a good sign. It had seemed impossible to Tetsuo that one of the students would be capable of such a feat, it was downright frightening.

"Hadō no 90, Kurohitsugi", he whispered the name of the spell he'd just seen in action. It had been a long time since he'd seen one in action and it had been even longer since he'd performed it himself. Sensing a feeling of urgency in his mind, he signalled his team to speed up and move towards the place where he'd seen the massive spell being cast. As they came nearer towards their target, the amount of hollows increased explosively, slowing them down considerably as they had to eliminate any they found in their path so that none would escape and wreak havoc amongst the living populace.

"Hey Midorikawa, shoot of some lightning would you, I'm sensing some other shinigami approaching, we'll need let them know where we are", Kaito shouted as he cleaved through the midsection of a particularly nasty looking hollow.

"Do it yourself Fujiwara, that last stunt took just about everything I had, I can barely move myself out of harm's way now".

"Isn't that always the case", Kaito grinned as he pointed his finger skywards. He was about to begin forming the spell as he got an idea. He'd been testing out his power during his rare moments alone and he had finally gotten the hang of it a few days ago.

"Let's see if this works", he smiled as he focused his mind. The lightning started to form on his arms and, following his will, quickly gained in strength, causing a brilliant show of light to be cast on the surroundings.

As the lightning grew stronger, more and more renegade sparks began to arc onto surrounding objects. Noticing this, Kaito redoubled his efforts to prevent any spark hitting his friends.

Mapping the trajectory in his mind, Kaito let go, causing the lightning which had been building across his body to shoot out at the oncoming hollow. Kaito watched as it hit them, the intense heat causing their blood to begin boiling as the lightning burned it's way through them and started to infuse every part of their bodies with electricity. He'd struck several hollow with his first strike, but he wasn't done yet. As he directed his focus to several other targets, the lightning arced over to them, inflicting the same horrific wounds on them as they had on the first victims of Kaito's new technique. It wasn't until the fourth arcing of targets that he felt the lightning fade. Immediately he directed it skywards, causing a multitude of lightning bolts to rocket skywards into the clouds where they finally discharged with a thundering bang.

"Come on, let's move it", Kaito shouted as his comrades just stood there, watching him.

As they kept on moving forward, the number of hollow gradually declined, but a sense of dread had begun to grow. Something was chasing them, something invisible. Kaito looked at his friends, only to see them nod. They had felt it too, proving that he wasn't paranoid. Picking up the pace, they raced across rooftops, the whirlwind of them passing by causing quite a bit of hats and one wig to fly off some heads on the street.

"Taichō, I see them, there they are, dead ahead", one of Tetsuo's men shouted.

Squinting his eyes, he too could make out the four figures flashing across the rooftops in their direction. They appeared to have noticed his group as well, for they shifted their path in his direction.

Gesturing at his subordinates, they took up positions at his side, forming a wing formation, each member fanned out more or less horizontally, each one a few paces behind the other. This minimized the risk of an ambush as they approached the students. It was a standard tactic of some types of hollow to either take the appearance of their victims, or to animate their corpses in order to ambush any rescue party. The kidō spells flying off towards the pursuing hollow negated that suspicion though. Signalling the students to move past them, he drew his sword as he and his team prepared to engage the oncoming hollow when they suddenly stopped. Tetsuo, also halted in his tracks by the strange behaviour of the hollow, looked at them curiously. Suddenly, several black lines appeared out of thin air, forming a tear in the dimensional fabric. Sensing the impending danger, the hollow immediately started to retreat, fleeing as if possessed. Two of Tetsuo's shinigami quickly starting to pursue them, unaware of the danger they were in. As he was calling out for them to retreat, he noticed a sudden shift in the darkness, only to be followed by a pair of claws flashing out of the darkness, cleaving the unfortunate shinigami in half. The severed halves being impaled by four separate tails before they could even hit the ground. Their comrades watched horrified as the tails curled back into the darkness, the sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones causing an icy cold shiver to run down the back of their spines.

"Men, this is important", Tetsuo said as he carefully eyed the dark gap, "I want you all to take those students and escort them to the camp, then, I want everyone to evacuate to Soul Society right away. And I don't want to hear anyone saying something about helping me, you know damn well that you wouldn't stand a chance here. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir", his men replied as they retreated immediately, leaving Tetsuo to face the creature lurking in the darkness on his own.

Taking the transmitter out of his pocket, Tetsuo thumbed it on and waited for it to connect to Soul Society.

"Tetsuo Taichō, what is your message?", a dry voice came over the radio. Tetsuo suppressed a slight feeling of disgust coming over him. He'd never liked those stiff radio operators, they were almost robotic in their every action, more machine than human. Nevertheless, he needed their services this time.

"Please put a spatial freeze of at least 500 units around me, it's going to get rough here", he spoke into the speaker, only to hear a short understood as a reply.

Still warily eyeing the gap, he moved himself in a defensive position. He waited, trying to gauge the opponent's strength, the thing in there obviously doing the same thing.

With this, they entered the waiting game only the most experienced of fighters can play.

"There is the camp", one of their escorts shouted as it came into view. They had made their way towards the camp without too much difficulty, the number of hollow had strangely diminished quite a bit all of a sudden and the stragglers didn't prove to be a problem for four of the most gifted students together with seven experienced shinigami.

Having arrived at the camp, they were met by a visibly concerned female shinigami, the badge on her arm indicating that she was a fukutaichō, probably Tetsuo Taichō's since taichō class shinigami rarely went anywhere without their adjunct.

"Where is Tetsuo Taichō?", she asked, her voice trembling a bit with fear and worry.

"He stayed behind to take care of, something", one of the guards said, his voice unsteady as he recalled the sight of his two comrades brutally being torn apart, "we lost two of our men because of that thing, but the rest of us managed to get these students here".

"Good", Chisaki said as she noticed the four students standing behind the shinigami she'd been talking to.

"I'll need you to guard the perimeter as we pull out the non-combat personnel. Make sure that no hollow enters the perimeter, understood?".

"Yes ma'am", the shinigami shouted in unison before they each headed off to a different sector around the camp.

"Ma'am, is there anything we can do to help?", Kaito asked. He'd seen his share of combat for today, but he couldn't just leave all the other people behind, not with the shinigami having lost two people when they had come to rescue them.

"At least we can fill in for the two shinigami that group lost when they came for us", Emi added, she had been thinking the exact same thing as Kaito, this resulted in a small smile playing across his face. This however, caused Emi to blush slightly as she noticed the smile being directed at her.

"Besides, we can handle ourselves", Midorikawa added, grinning widely at Miharu. Even though he had spent a lot of his reserves on that final spell of his, he still felt good to go, the adrenaline raging through his system suppressing any fatigue to the deepest corners of his mind.

"All right, I know Tetsuo Taichō is going to be ticked off about this once he gets back, but right now I need every shinigami I can get, student or not".

"Ok, you two go to sector five, it's near that water tower in the east", she said as she pointed to Miharu and Midorikawa, then turned towards Kaito and Emi, "and you two are to report to sector seven, it's that large building in the north".

Saluting, the two teams ran off towards their designated sectors. Leaving Chisaki to organise the retreat of the non-combat personnel. A task she carried out with utmost care and sense of duty.

The defence line at sector seven was a mess. The shinigami had already suffered several casualties, thankfully, no fatalities, but the perimeter had been, just like every other sector, on the brink of collapse until the hollow suddenly retreated. Taking full advantage of this sudden pause, the remaining shinigami had tended to their wounded and had placed several hadō barriers to reinforce their position.

"Sir", Kaito saluted to the man who was obviously in charge, given the way he was barking orders at the rest of the shinigami, "senior academy students Fujiwara Kaito and Shimizu Emi reporting for duty".

Looking over his shoulder, the man snorted indifferently and gestured them towards a position near the right flank, indicating that they should go there and make themselves useful.

"Wow, looks like he won some sort of Mr. Friendly award if you ask me", Emi muttered as they made their way through the rubble.

"He probably doesn't have the time for students like us, he still has a job to do", Kaito said, impervious to the gruff manner of the officer.

"Yeah, you're right, but still, a bit friendlier would be nice", Emi replied, still a bit mad at the officer.

"Who the hell are you?", one of the shinigami guarding the flank asked, his gruff tone rivalling the attitude of his commander.

"Sheesh, are they keeping some sort of friendliness competition here?", Emi scowled, throwing a look that would make ordinary souls cower in fear at the guard.

"Easy now Emi, he's on our side remember, best to keep him there", Kaito whispered before he turned towards the guard, "we're senior academy students, we were assigned here by Chisaki Fukutaichō".

"I see, can't be helped then", the guard shrugged. He still wasn't happy with the idea of some students walking around, probably only to get in his way at critical moments.

"Just patrol this area and make sure not even a single hollow slips past here. Think you can handle that?"

"Yes sir", Emi and Kaito shouted in response to the order.

They had hardly begun to patrol up and down the right flank when suddenly a huge explosion shook the very earth they were walking on. Looking in the direction of the explosion, they saw a massive cloud of dust rising near of Tetsuo Taichō's last known position. It wasn't limited to one explosion though, for soon the earth started shaking violently every few seconds, most of the tremors accompanied with massive explosions that were throwing up clouds of dust. Suddenly, Kaito noticed that the dust had begun to move slowly towards the camp, the feeling of that thing inside the hole approaching the camp with still so many people inside caused his stomach to turn. If that thing could kill two experienced shinigami in a flash, what on earth would it do with several dozens of people who weren't trained for combat. Kaito didn't get much time to worry though, for suddenly, a massive wave of hollow came flooding towards their position, having felt that the large powers were now tied up with each other, they now wanted to take full advantage of the sudden opportunity.

"Goddamn vultures", Kaito cursed as he drew his sword and readied himself for the attack, Emi doing the same.

"Hold it you guys, let the barriers do their work first", the guard shouted as the first hollow impacted the barriers, the weaker ones incinerating instantly, not even given the time to shriek. The larger, more powerful ones kept on pressing forward though, even as the places where they were touching the barrier started smoking, causing the smell of burning flesh to fill the air. The barrier, which had already begun to crack under the combined power of several dozens of hollow finally gave out with a resounding bang, shattering practically every single remaining window in the area. The shinigami had been preparing for this though, the exact moment the hollow broke through the barrier, they had just finished their kidō spells. Firing them at the same time, the shinigami welcomed the hollow with a barrage of kidō which ripped practically all of them to pieces, but they didn't have much time to relax, for the second wave of hollow was already approaching. Deciding that the other shinigami could use a little break, Kaito shouted to them that they should stay back and started to charge himself for another attack, which he'd named the chain lightning. Noticing the massive power building up in Kaito, the other shinigami stepped back a bit, afraid of being hit by a stray spark.

Kaito unleashed the attack just as the second wave neared their perimeter, causing injuries that were equally gruesome and devastating as the first time he'd performed the attack.

"I wish I knew how you did that", Emi asked as she moved besides him again, even she had jumped back a bit when he'd started.

"It's an ability I received when I passed the test I got from my zanpakutō's spirit", he explained.

"Did you learn it's name?", Emi asked, her face being one of disbelief.

"Huh? It's name? No, I just imagine the lightning and it does what I want it to, though it takes quite a bit of concentration", he replied.

Emi wanted to ask more, but she didn't have the time for it, since the third wave of hollow was already approaching. Deciding to give it a rest until they were back at the academy, she positioned herself to fire a kidō spell before the hollow were within the perimeter.

Kaito having given them the time to prepare another volley of spells, the other shinigami now unleashed it again onto the oncoming hollow. This time the number of hollow was too large for the wave to be stopped completely by the single attack though and soon practically every shinigami on the defensive line in sector seven found him- or herself faced with one or more hollow.

Tetsuo had only just started to observe the hollow inside the gap when he suddenly heard it's voice, it was laughing. This of course irritated Tetsuo to no end, he knew how cruel hollow could be, especially the stronger ones which had more intelligence and judging from the reiatsu this one was emitting, he was currently facing an Adjuchas class Menos.

"Hmmmmmmm", the voice suddenly said, "I thought I smelled something nice coming from this spot on the real world, I come over and what do I find? Several shinigami for an appetiser topped off with a shinigami Taichō as the main course and of course several more shinigami souls for dessert".

"You'll see you've bitten off more than you can chew Adjuchas", Tetsuo shot back, his raging anger about the two fallen shinigami only being amplified by the hollow's description of them as mere snacks.

"Oh indeed, we'll see", the hollow sneered.

Still keeping a close eye on the blurry shape that was lingering in the darkness of the hole, he didn't fail to notice the pair of tails whipping out towards him. Jumping aside, he watched the tails shatter the pavement, only to be pulled back a bit for a next attack but this time joined by the other pair of tails.

"Come on, get out of your hidey hole and fight", Tetsuo shouted as he dodged another attack by the tails, "or are you too scared to show your ugly face?"

This comment made the hollow bellow in anger. It had already been quite infuriated with its inability to hit the opposing Taichō, the comment only adding fuel to the fire. Using its claws, it ripped open the hole even further, causing the sound comparable to that of a stylus being dragged over a vinyl record.

As the hole opened even further, the hollow slowly came into sight, it's four tails waving dangerously in the air, it's claws piercing the pavement because of the sheer weight of the creature. It looked like some sort of deformed lizard Tetsuo noted as its entire body came into view. He was reminded a bit of a creature he'd once seen on a television in the real world, a Komodo Dragon if he remembered correctly. It sure looked a lot like that type of lizard. It's low profile and massive claws being a dead giveaway. There were quite a bit of differences though, the four tails being one of them, but it's scales were notably different too, instead of being relatively smooth, they were jagged and arranged in what looked to be a random pattern across it's body, each one outfitted with a menacing spike. As the hollow opened its mouth, rows and rows of teeth gleamed in the slowly fading sunlight.

"You'll be sorry for tainting me like that", it said as it whipped its tails at Tetsuo, again hitting nothing but air and the occasional stray brick.

"It seems weak attacks like that won't do anything to you", the hollow grinned as it suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but a short static sound in its wake.

"This however, will not fail to hit you Taichō-san", the hollow's voice came from behind Tetsuo.

Jumping out of the way, Tetsuo felt the hollow's claws rip through the fabric of his haori, effectively tearing off a large portion of his coat.

"I'll say the same thing about you", Tetsuo said, his face slightly distorted by a feeling of pity as he prepared himself for doing something that was both not much to his liking, yet necessary.

"Scream in agony, Kurishimi-ken!!", Tetsuo shouted as he released his blade.

Instantly, a horrifying scream pierced the sky, causing the hollow to even cover his ears.

"What the hell was that", it bellowed, a small trickle of blood dripping down from one of the opening that were supposedly his ears.

"It's my zanpakutō's shikai", Tetsuo said calmly, ignoring the constant tugging of the blade as it wanted to dig itself into the opposing hollow.

Not believing its own eyes, the hollow stared at the sword. The violent twists and turns in the blade giving the impression that it had been forged by some sort of psychopath. The large number of indentations on the blade only adding to that conclusion.

"Prepare yourself", Tetsuo said as he charged at the hollow, who had barely enough time to raise one of its claws in defence as Tetsuo brought the blade down upon the hollow. The instant it touched the claw, pain wracked the hollow's body, causing the muscles of the claw he'd used to block Tetsuo's strike to spasm.

"What the hell, what did you do!!", the hollow shouted as it jumped back, staying well away of Tetsuo's blade.

"This is my zanpakutō's ability", Tetsuo calmly explained, "with each strike, it causes a massive wave of pain across your entire body and the effect only grows stronger with each consecutive strike".

A grin played across Tetsuo's face, just hearing his zanpakutō's ability usually had quite a distinct effect on his opponents, instilling them with fear and thus causing them to avoid the sword as much as possible, resulting in several mistakes that he could then exploit.

But the grin on Tetsuo's face quickly faded when the hollow started laughing again.

"You think you have me with that little Taichō?", the hollow sneered, "then I just have to make sure that you don't touch me with that blade and with my own ability, that shouldn't prove to be a problem".

"Behold", the hollow shouted as he raised his four tails in the air, each of the ends splitting in two, "this is my own ability".

Noticing that the hollow's tails were aiming directly at him, Tetsuo jumped backwards just in time, for the ground he'd been standing on had been blasted away by a concentrated burst of reiatsu.

"How do you like this shinigami", the hollow started blasting off shot after shot from its tails, most of them only missing Tetsuo by a matter of millimetres.

Tetsuo gritted his teeth as small shards of stone thrown up by an explosion started to embed themselves in his flesh. Not only was the hollow slowly wearing him down, he'd also noticed that they had been slowly moving towards the camp. Once they got there, it would become a massacre without a doubt, something he had to prevent at all costs. If he were to break his limit, he'd be able to take out the hollow quite easily, but that could influence other souls, not to mention the time it would take to get permission to do it. There was only a single option left.

"I hate to do this Adjuchas, but you leave me no choice", Tetsuo said as he planted his feet firmly in the ground, preparing himself for what was about to follow. The hollow only looking curiously at the Taichō, wondering about what the man in white's next move would be.

"Bankai!!", Tetsuo shouted as he drove his sword into the earth, causing a torrent of a sticky black liquid to burst out of the wound his sword had made, blanketing the immediate vicinity, the vapours of the liquid rising to form a thick mist. The smell of the liquid was overpowering, causing the hollow to gag.

"I'm sorry", Tetsuo said as he finished the summoning of his bankai, causing four worms made of twisted shards of metal, barbed wire and chains to appear out of the muck. He averted his gaze as the four worms threw themselves onto the hollow. The Adjuchas tried to defend itself, but soon found that the worms had already bitten off his tails, leaving only horrific wounds in their wake. It screamed in agony as the worms coiled themselves around it's body, shredding it in the process. The hollow was still alive when the horrible beasts started to devour his body, tearing flesh from the bone.

Feeling the presence of the hollow disappear, Tetsuo pulled his zanpakutō from the ground, causing the effects of it to disappear instantly, the only remainder of the hollow being a few scraps of skin and the end of one of its tails.

Having finished his job, he turned his back to the scene of the battle and started walking towards the camp. He figured his subordinates could use some help by now.

"Shit, this isn't looking good", Kaito cursed as he used the back of his hand to whack aside a hollow he'd just given a vicious slash across it's midsection.

"Tell me about it", one of the shinigami yelled.

After the third wave, they'd been attacked by a constant stream of hollow and their casualties were slowly piling up. Most of them injured, but there had been several fatalities as well. One of them having been dragged off into a group of hollow, only to be torn apart in front of his comrade's eyes. They didn't have time to mourn their fallen comrades for they would join them in their fate if any of the remaining shinigami would drop their focus. With no time to prepare a kidō spell, combat had shifted to pure melee, with swords clashing against claws, teeth and tails.

Just as Kaito slashed at another hollow that ventured a little too close for comfort, he noticed a faint shimmer in the air behind a hollow, causing it to be slashed in several pieces. Wondering about what that shimmer was, Kaito failed to notice the tail moving at high speed towards the back of his head. Unable to shield himself, he was taken off his feet and flung towards a pile of rubble.

Still wondering about what had happened, Kaito felt himself crash into the rubble. Dazed, he looked at his chest where an intrusive pain was starting to nag at him, only to notice an iron rod coated with blood sticking out of his body. Unable to hear Emi's terrified scream, Kaito's mind slipped into darkness.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

He stirred , the thick fog that had enveloped his mind now slowly fading. He opened his eyes, only to clamp them shut right away to prevent being blinded by the low morning sun that was casting its rays on his eyes with pinpoint accuracy. As he slowly opened his eyes again to let them adjust to the bright light, he noticed that he wasn't in the real world anymore, but in a room of the academy's medical wing. Slowly, he recalled the events that had occurred during the excursion. After having been distracted by something that had been attacking hollows, he'd been hit on the head and flung into a pile of debris, which was the point where everything got fuzzy.

As he rose, he felt a weight on his stomach. Curious as to what it was, he looked down only to find that Emi's head was the source. Her slow breathing causing the hair that had fallen across her face to move slightly with every breath she took. Smiling, he gently stroked the hair out of her face, causing her to mutter in her sleep when some rebellious strands refused to be taken along with the rest and lightly tickled at Emi's face. A stinging pain to his chest quickly convinced him to lie down again though. Wondering where it came from, he took a quick peek down his collar to see the source of the pain, only to see that his entire chest had been wrapped in bandages.

"How the heck?", Kaito wondered. He was about to wake Emi when the door suddenly opened and a nurse walked into the room.

"Ah, you're up Fujiwara-san", she said as she walked to the bed.

She shook lightly at Emi's shoulder, causing her to wake up. As Emi noticed who she'd been using as a pillow, she blushed. She was about to ask the nurse something only to be cut off by a finger pointing in Kaito's direction. Her eyes followed the direction indicated by the finger, wondering what it was the nurse wanted to show her. As her eyes fell upon Kaito's face, they opened wide. The shock of him having woken up to find her asleep on his stomach causing the blush to turn a few shades darker. It only lasted for a less than a second though. Soon the joy of seeing him awake wrenched surprise out of her mind and she threw herself upon him in a mad embrace. He would've appreciated the gesture if it hadn't been for the pain that the embrace brought with it. Hearing him wince, Emi quickly relinquished her almost frantic hold on him and pulled back a bit, the expression on her face telling him all he needed to know, I'm sorry.

"Now now Shimuzu-sama, please be gentle with Fujiwara-san. He's still recovering from his injury and we'd appreciate it if you would attempt to keep him here a bit longer", the nurse commented, which only earned her an angry look from Emi.

"Erm, I know this might sound a bit weird and all, but what happened out there? How come I'm here with my chest wrapped up like a Christmas gift?", Kaito asked, attempting to change the subject and to get some information on what exactly had happened out there.

"What's Christmas?", Emi and the nurse asked simultaneously.

"Never mind that, what happened to me?", Kaito replied. He was absolutely not in the mood to explain the basic principles for Christmas to two girls that were more interested in glaring at each other than in him talking.

"You mean you don't remember anything of it Kaito?", Emi asked, worry now starting to flood her voice.

"Well, I can remember up to the point where I was hit and flung into that pile of debris, from that moment on it gets all fuzzy".

"I see", the nurse answered, "Fujiwara-san, as you were flung into that pile of debris as you so accurately put it, you struck an iron rod, it pierced through your chest. One of your lungs was punctured and the rod barely missed your heart and spine. You're extremely lucky to be alive".

"After you were knocked out", Emi took over, "the Onmitsukidō appeared at the scene to help out. They transported you to the camp as soon as they had eliminated the immediate threat. From there you were transported here. You've been out for three days now".

"So that's what I saw", Kaito muttered as he recalled the blur cutting into the hollow, "one of those guys distracted me during the fight, with my current situation as a consequence".

"In any case, you'll be here for a few more days Fujiwara-san", the nurse said as she walked towards the door.

"A doctor will come check up on you this afternoon to make sure the wound is healing well".

The nurse threw one last look into the room before exiting it, the door slowly closing behind her. Emi already sighed with relief when the door suddenly opened again, causing her head to whip around to see who it was that would dare to disturb them again. A cheerful voice made it clear before they came into view though.

"Hiya Kaito-kun, Emi-chan", Miharu shouted in her usual happy voice.

"Ah, Miharu-chan", Emi shouted, the irritated look immediately making way for a smile.

"So, how are you doing Kaito-kun?", Miharu asked as she jumped onto the side of the bed, Midorikawa placing somewhere in a more remote corner of the room. He'd obviously been dragged here by Miharu as usual, though his usually calm expression did show a few small signs of amusement and relief.

"Pretty good I guess, I woke up only a few minutes ago though".

"But who would have suspected that you of all people would end up here", she joked.

"That could've happened to anyone Miharu-chan", Emi came to his defence, but Kaito merely shrugged.

"It was my fault Emi, I shouldn't have been distracted so easily. I dropped my guard and that hollow merely took advantage of it".

"Oh don't be so negative Kaito-kun", Miharu smiled.

"Everyone is negative in comparison to you Miharu", Midorikawa suddenly said.

"So very true", Emi laughed, Kaito also tried to laugh, but failed miserably when a sudden jolt of pain shot through him, but that didn't stop him from grinning though. Meanwhile, Miharu had a decidedly weird look on her face, not understanding why the others were laughing at what Midorikawa had said causing her to be slightly irritated. Was she really that cheerful?

The sun was already setting when the odd duo left. They'd been talking for a long time and not even the doctor that had come to check up on Kaito had been able to chase them out of the room.

"Finally", Emi sighed as she watched the door close, only to be pushed open again.

"For the love of ...", Emi cursed as she prepared to give the new intruder a decent scolding when she suddenly noted the white on the arm that had pushed open the door. Her eyes widened as the man came into full view. The high ponytail in his pitch black hair, the ever avid eyes casting down a hard stare that was only counteracted by the warm smile on his face.

"Yoshikune Taichō, what are you doing here sir?", Emi asked, completely forgetting her place as a shinigami trainee. She realised she'd stepped out of line the moment the words had left her mouth, but the enigmatic man just nodded, his smile calming her nerves. She'd been in the presence of several taichō class shinigami and they all had a distinctive reiatsu around them. Some were oppressive, others just neutral, but she'd never felt one like Yoshikune Taichō, it was gentle, even soothing.

"It appears you've gotten yourself injured Kaito-kun", the man suddenly spoke, his voice carrying the same properties as his reiatsu.

"So it seems", Kaito answered. The man that was now standing next to his bed was his saviour, the one that had given him a second chance. The reason he'd met Emi.

"I haven't had the chance to thank you yet, err, how should I address you sir?", Kaito asked hesitantly, he had realised that Yoshikune Shinji was a Taichō the moment Emi had explained it to him and thus commanded a certain amount of respect.

"Whatever you want to call me is fine Kaito-kun", the taichō answered, "but there's no real need to thank me though. I would've done the same for anyone, but I admit, I have been pulling some strings here and there to get you into the academy and it seems that assigning Shimizu-san here as your tutor was a good idea".

He nodded to Emi, who was still a bit confused with everything she was hearing. It was practically unheard of that a taichō class shinigami actually wouldn't mind not being addressed with their rank. There were a few exceptions to that rule, but that was only between people of approximately the same rank that had known each other for an extended period of time. From what she knew, Kaito had met Yoshikune Taichō only once before.

"I've read the report of the battle. It seems you defeated a large number of hollow together with the Tanaka/Midorikawa team, I even have reports of a nineties level kidō spell being cast. I suppose that was Midorikawa, his talents are well known, even outside the academy. Shimizu-san, I would like you to write a report of the battle, make it as detailed as possible".

"Yes sir", Emi acknowledged.

"Well now", Yoshikune said as he threw a look at Emi's hand, which was holding Kaito's, "I won't be imposing on you two any longer. Take care, both of you. Oh, and come by my office when you graduate from the academy all right? And I mean you too Shimizu-san".

Having said those words, Shinji left the room, the students present in it speechless, stunned by the sudden visit of the taichō. The silence didn't last for long though, because soon after Shinji had left the room, both Emi and Kaito started talking about the surprise visit at practically the same time, resulting in a comical situation with the two of them staring at each other, only to burst out in laughter. The official visiting hours were over, but Emi misused her authority to chase away the nurses that were checking the rooms. Kaito couldn't help but smile, Emi wasn't the type of person that would use her rank so casually without a reason, she was planning something.

Emi looked out of the window, it was already dark outside. They'd been talking all the time, about the mission, about Miharu and Midorikawa, about Yoshikune Taichō and about themselves. Emi was reminded all over again why she loved Kaito and she stared at his handsome face all the while they were talking, only to have Kaito return the favour.

"Hey Kaito", Emi said, her voiced hushed as she took his hand in hers again, "can I stay here for the night?"

"Sure hun", Kaito said as he lifted the covers. His arms curled around her as she snuck into the bed and nestled herself in his gentle embrace. He felt the heat of her body as she too wrapped her arms around him, drawing him close to her.

"Don't do anything like that again Kaito", she whispered as she pressed the side of her head against his chest.

"Do what?"

Emi looked up, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't scare me like that again", she cried, "I thought you were going to die. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if I were to lose you".

Kaito watched her cry. He too didn't want to imagine what would happen if he were to lose Emi. As he hugged her again, slightly easing her sobs, he vowed that never again would he make her cry. He'd protect her, his friends and everyone else that he knew.

He looked at Emi, only to notice that she'd cried herself to sleep. Deciding that the best course of action was to go to sleep himself, he laid himself down, Emi's arms still wrapped firmly around his waist, refusing to let go. Soon afterwards, he too fell asleep, overcome by the fatigue induced by the wound in his chest, too tired to even notice the fact that he couldn't feel the pain of the wound anymore. As his eyes closed, a faint breeze came wandering in through the open window, the curtains rippling as the wind went past them.

"You've made a vow, make sure you keep it", a deep voice said as Kaito drifted away into a deep sleep, or was he dreaming already?

A bright ray of light fell through a small gap in between the curtains, a result of the breeze of the previous night. Kaito growled a bit as the ray fell directly onto his face, rousing him from his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, witnessing something he'd only dreamt of until now. Still sleeping next to him, in his arms, was the girl he loved, still asleep. By a whim of fate, she hadn't been hit by the ray and was still sleeping soundly on the bed. Slowly, he raised himself onto his shoulder and looked at the girl. The wind had been playing with her hair, causing a few strands to wander over her face, irritating her slightly for she unconsciously tried to brush them out of her face, but to no avail. Kaito looked at the sun through the gap in the curtains. Soon the nurses would come in to check up on them and it would be pretty bad if they would find the heir to the Shimizu family sleeping next to him. He decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to just wake her so he devised something a little more cunning. He moved the edge of the curtain slightly, paving the way for the light to bathe her face in it's warm glow. Almost instantly, she stirred and opened her eyes slightly. Still drowsy, she clumsily tried to pull the curtain back into place, only to be greeted by a cheerful Kaito who planted a kiss on her lips. Suddenly the events of the previous evening came flooding back into her mind, causing a fierce blush to invade her cheeks. Hurriedly, she crawled out of the bed, only to get caught in the sheets. Kaito laughed as he witnessed Emi wrestle to get out of the grip of the mighty bed. Hearing the laughter, Emi tried to glare at Kaito, but soon started laughing herself as she saw the expression on Kaito's face. It'd been a long time she'd seen him like that, though that was by their normal standards. He normally had that honest smile on his face all the time when she was with him, but it had been missing the night before, which had caused her to worry about him. Not even the visit of Miharu and Midorikawa had been able to change that, but here he was again, laughing and smiling. But something still felt a bit off, not that it was something negative though. She felt as if something had been freed inside him, something that would influence his, and probably even her, future.

She gave the blasted cover a last kick as she retreated out of the bed and sat down on a chair next to Kaito's bed just as the door opened and one of the nurses came in, accompanied by the doctor in charge of Kaito's recovery.

"It looks like you are doing fine Fujiwara-san", the doctor said as he checked Kaito's wound and instructed the nurse to change the bandages, "I think you'll be well enough to leave the hospital and return to the academy this afternoon. To be honest, your rapid recovery surprises me, I'd expected your wound would've taken at least a few more days to heal completely, but it appears I was mistaken. In any case, you are to stay here until this afternoon Fujiwara-san, after that, you are free to go, but please don't do anything too straining while you are still recovering. I can allow light training, but nothing else understand? We wouldn't want you to injure yourself again do we?"

Kaito nodded at the doctor and sat up straight so that the nurse could change the bandage. New skin had already begun to cover the wound. At this rate it would be nothing more than a scar in a few days.

He wondered how the others were doing as he put on his uniform again. It felt good to feel the light fabric on his skin again. Finally, he took up his zanpakutō again. It had been placed next to his bed by a nurse that had come to check on him a while earlier. Kaito had immediately understood the hint, he was free to go. Slowly, he drew the blade and made a few practise swings in the room, the light reflecting off the blade causing a dazzling lightshow on the walls. His zanpakutō felt unusually light in his hand and the way he was able to handle it made it seem as if the blade was reading his thoughts, as if they were completely synchronised.

Having decided that he was fully recovered, Kaito sheathed the blade and walked out of the room. Standing in the doorway, he decided that he would never again see a room like that again.

"Let's go", he said to Emi who'd been standing in the hallway. He grabbed her hand and they walked out of the hospital, not looking back even a single time.

Kaito and Emi were used to people whispering about them whenever they showed themselves in public, but to see people cheer and applaud for them was something different altogether. It had started the moment they'd walked into the academy.

"If you want to know why, it's because of us staying behind to help the shinigami hold the perimeter", Kaito suddenly heard a voice say behind him. He didn't even have to turn around, he'd recognise that slightly sarcastic tone anywhere.

"So you're troubled by it as well Midorikawa, Miharu-chan?", Kaito asked as he turned around.

"Consider yourself lucky", Midorikawa snorted, "they were a lot worse when we had only just come back from the real world, I even threatened them with casting a high level kidō spell, but that only made them cheer even harder. Looks like everyone already knows that I can perform Kurohitsugi".

"As if anyone could miss a huge black box suddenly appearing out of thin air", Kaito grinned.

"Fujiwara", a voice suddenly called out, instantly hushing the voices of the people around them.

"Awww crap, not the person I wanted to see right now", Emi cursed as she saw Nakajima-sensei make his way through the crowd.

"Fujiwara", he repeated, "I would like you to come with me right away, we still need you to write a full report of the battle and I don't want to keep the headmaster waiting, I suggest you don't keep him waiting either".

Having said this, Nakajima guided Kaito away. Having nothing to say about it, Kaito sighed and waved at Emi who was, strangely enough smiling a bit. This caused him to miss Nakajima winking at Emi, Miharu and Midorikawa.

"Now then, let us go write that report Fujiwara-san".

Several hours later, Kaito dragged himself to his room, Nakajima in his wake. He'd been forced to recount the entire excursion to the utmost detail. If there's one thing Kaito had to admire, it had to be Nakajima-sensei's ability to get answers out of a student, to the slightest detail imaginable. Kaito growled, why did Nakajima-sensei have to escort him to his own quarters? He knew it was reasonably late, that he was quite tired, still injured and at risk of being attacked by some jealous student that would try to take advantage of his momentary weakness but still, he had the feeling that he could take on anyone that would come at him right now.

He sighed as he placed his hand against the door of his room. He was now officially back at the academy. Already feeling the tidal pull of fatigue pulling on an edge of his consciousness, he opened the door, only to be greeted by all of his classmates. Baffled by this sudden development, he staggered a little, only to bump into a smiling Nakajima-sensei.

"Congratulations with your recovery Kaito-kun", Nakajima said, "and again congratulations to your valiant efforts to help keep the perimeter during the excursion and also congratulations to you, Emi-chan, Miharu-chan and Midorikawa-kun. Though I myself would not have permitted your actions, you still performed flawlessly, your actions saving many lives of fellow shinigami and for that, you deserve to be honoured. Thus, I am pleased to inform you that it has been decided that the four of you will pass this final year of your training as a shinigami and that you are all given a post as a seated officer at a squad of your choice".

The chattering fell silent the moment Nakajima said those words and Kaito quickly exchanged looks with his two closest friends and his lover. After a few seconds, they all nodded at the same time and Kaito turned towards his teacher.

"Sir, I think it wouldn't be fair to the other students, not only of our class, but to those of the entire academy. They followed their orders to the letter and retreated through the senkai gate, we on the other hand disobeyed our orders to help out the other shinigami. In other words, we're being rewarded for something we actually did wrong. That isn't fair to the others and thus, we will also take the final exam and earn our positions as shinigami in the Gotei 13 through our own abilities and not some battle report".

Nakajima smiled as he listened to the words of his student. He and his friends had made the right decision almost instantly, at practically the same time and they knew what the others had thought right away. He was looking at a perfect team, a golden combination. Those four would cause quite a few heads to turn when they finally entered active duty. As a matter of fact, they had done so already, two taichō had already shown considerable interest in them and Midorikawa had a few scouts of the Kidō Corps on his tail already. But for the moment, he decided to let go of such thoughts and enjoy the party with his students. He'd been the one to come up with the idea and he'd carried out most of the preparations. The other students had also helped a lot, especially the other three of the quartet.

The party lasted until late that night, Nakajima allowing Kaito and Emi to show some intimacy to one another for as long as it remained within acceptable bounds. Though he was quite surprised to see a lot of couples come out for themselves as well. He hadn't imagined that so many of his students had relationships, though it was quite normal to see Miharu tease Midorikawa. When party was finally over, Nakajima led his students to their quarters, all the while making sure that no one snuck into a room that wasn't their own, there was a reason to party, that much was true, but he was still a teacher and he had to enforce the rules, no matter where he was, what time it was or how smashed he was. For once he'd allowed his students to drink alcohol, something they had been incredibly grateful for, but he too had been unable to resist the smell of the different types of liquor and beer they had assembled causing Nakajima to worry about where his students were able to find all of that alcohol. Though those worries were soon forgotten the moment Sakamoto shoved a glass of sake under his teacher's nose. There was one thing Nakajima was sure about though. He wouldn't be the only one waking up with a massive headache the following morning.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kaito groaned as he tried to raise himself from his bed. He was used to drinking, but he had underestimated Sakamoto's special brew. It had been strangely tantalising but the effects afterwards were devastating. His head seemed two times too small for his brain and his body felt like lead. This caused him to wonder about some of his friends. They'd been drinking a lot more than he did and he could tell that most of them just weren't used to drinking alcohol. A wave of dizziness washed over him as he stood up. Trying to keep his balance, he put his hand against the wall, leaning heavily on it as he made his way to the shower. Once there, the icy water streaming over his body worked miracles. The nausea and dizziness had vanished the moment his brains had been bombarded by his nerves because of the cold creeping its way into his body. Shivering, but sober, he stepped out of the shower and got dressed. He looked at the clock. Emi would usually be yelling at his door by now, something his neighbours had gotten used to over time, heck, some even used it as a replacement for their alarm clock. But now there was nothing but silence. He couldn't suppress a grin as he thought back at the previous night. There were a few small gaps here and there, but he could remember most of it. Emi drinking just about anything that was placed in front of her, followed by her audacious move of placing herself in his embrace in front of everyone, even Nakajima-sensei. She'd obviously been too drunk to either care or even notice the fact that they weren't alone. He had to admit though, he'd been hard pressed to keep himself in check when she'd kissed him full on his lips. It had been a bit embarrassing, but the reactions of some of his classmates more than made up for that. It had ranged from some jaws dropping, to one of the girls even coming close to fainting. The most embarrassing moment had been when Emi had fallen asleep in his arms though. She'd remained there for the rest of the evening, again refusing to let go in her sleep. Eventually, with the help of Nakajima-sensei and Miharu, he'd been able to get her loose and he'd carried her to her room under the watchful eye of Nakajima-sensei.

He again noticed the change in weight of his zanpakutō when he picked it up and tucked it safely into his sash.

With still no Emi in sight, he made his way to her room, most of the people whispering and pointing in his direction as usual. It didn't bother him anymore though, he'd gotten used to it, even if they were a bit more active than usual. He knocked on the door of Emi's quarters, only to be greeted by silence. Quietly, he opened the door and saw Emi lying in her bed, still sleeping peacefully. He decided that he'd wake her up using a trick he'd learned from his father when he'd been still alive, the same trick he'd used on himself a little while before. Carefully, he picked her up and walked into the shower. The resulting scream causing quite a bit of heads to poke out of their respective quarters as Kaito held Emi's head firmly under the stream of cold water. Patiently, he waited until her punches became accurate enough to actually annoy him before he turned off the shower.

"Why the hell did you do that?", Emi shouted, the water still dripping from her face, "did you intend to kill me?".

"Easy there Emi", Kaito said calmly, still evading some of Emi's punches, "you were still sleeping, and if I were to wake you the usual way, you'd have one hell of a hangover. As my dad used to say, the best way to cure a hangover is a good cold shower. Just admit it, you drunk quite a bit of alcohol last night, yet now you don't feel a thing of it right?".

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, now get the hell out of my room, or do you want me to change in front of you too?", Emi scowled as she chased Kaito out of her room.

Not really willing to face Emi's wrath this early in the morning, Kaito hurried out of the room. He heard Emi's scowling voice as he waited patiently against her door. The amount of muttering indicating that being woken up in such a fashion wasn't a really pleasant surprise.

The scowl was still clearly visible on Emi's face when she exited her room a few minutes later, fully dressed and without a hangover.

"All right Mr. pleasant surprise, let's go before we're late", Emi said, dragging him along as usual, though perhaps a bit rougher than normal.

The sight at the classroom had been something Kaito had been expecting. Most of the students were either absent, or sitting dazed at their desks, more than a few holding their heads clutched between their hands. Even Nakajima-sensei seemed to be a bit unsteady. Kaito grinned, apparently no one could resist Sakamoto's brew.

"Yahoo", Kaito suddenly heard coming from the door. It was Miharu, dragging a semi-conscious Midorikawa into the classroom.

"Figures", Kaito grinned at Emi, who just shook her head at the sight of the duo entering the classroom.

"So there is no clue whatsoever concerning the identity of the one responsible for spreading the bait?", the headmaster said, his voice slightly trembling with anger.

"Yes sir, we're doing our absolute best to find the ones responsible, but a lack of evidence is severely limiting our options", the man clad in a black combat suit said. The headmaster frowned, the eyes of the man, the only visible part of his face, didn't give away anything.

"Please continue your search, but be as swift as you can possibly be.", the headmaster said, forcing himself to calm down, "A lot of our students were in serious danger out there and a lot of the shinigami responsible for the perimeter were killed as well. Worst of all, we don't know if those responsible are going to strike again, and if so, when and where."

The man saluted and left instantly using shunpō. An annoying trait of the Onmitsukidō the old man thought. Why did those people always have to use shunpō for everything they were doing. If only the world were to run at his pace, everything would be a lot easier.

Classes had been quite relaxed that day, mostly due to the fact that almost everyone except for three people were either still in their rooms or sleeping at their desks. Even Sakamoto, the one responsible for all the mayhem was balancing carefully between asleep and barely awake.

"So", he asked Emi as they walked out of the classroom, "do you want to spar a bit?"

"Sure, that way I'll be able to exact some revenge for this morning", she grinned. The anger about the sudden waking up call had been completely forgotten when she had seen the devastating results alcohol had on the rest of the class, well, except for Miharu of course.

Quickly, they ran off towards their favourite training ground, the most remote one of all, leaving Miharu standing in the middle of the path towards the dormitory with a still dazed Midorikawa leaning heavily on her shoulder. Looking from her friends running away to the one leaning on her shoulder, she grinned from ear to ear.

"So, how's conversing with your zanpakutō working out?", Emi asked as she and Kaito raced towards the training ground, using both shunpō and rooftops to move about quickly without attracting too much attention. Both their speeds were above what most students and even some teachers could detect. Not that they wouldn't be in trouble if Nakajima-sensei were to spot them, but considering his condition from that morning, they decided he'd be more likely to crawl back into his bed as soon as possible than to patrol the hallways for hours on end.

"I haven't talked to it much lately", Kaito replied, he'd been talking to it a bit, but not that much because he didn't have a lot of time for it, "I talk to it whenever I've got some spare time, but there hasn't been a lot of that, has there?"

"Yeah, but still, how's it going? Have you learned it's name yet?"

"No, not yet, have you?"

"Nope, me neither", Emi said, smiling sheepishly.

"Well, how about we try to communicate with our zanpakutō instead of training".

"Agreed", the girl nodded. She'd gotten the point almost immediately. Instead of focusing on improving their technique, strength, speed, endurance or any other trait, focussing on communicating with their zanpakutō would allow them to release it if they could learn its name. Explosively increasing their power in the process.

The two students moved towards the edge of the academy grounds, they'd found an abandoned field there and had started using it as their personal sparring area. Within the span of two months, the ground had become littered with craters and the trees nearest to the clearing had either suffered from severe scorch marks or had been cut down completely. Results of Kaito's lightning and wind attacks. He'd recently learned how to completely control the wind he generated by using his mind and now he was able to launch devastating attacks combining both the elements into vicious strikes that could cut a path through just about anything. The lightning would strike critical points with blinding accuracy and the wind would smash everything to pieces. Ever since he'd shown Emi his attacks, she'd been continuously insisting that he would use them during their sparring matches, even though she was barely able to dodge them. She did make sure he kept on his toes though. Every time she noticed him easing up a bit or giving her space to breathe, she'd strike back with all her might, not afraid to give Kaito a nasty cut every now and then. She'd made sure he'd learned not to underestimate her or any other opponent.

They sat down. Each of them drawing their zanpakutō and placing it on their lap. Kaito looked at Emi, he wanted to talk to her a bit more before they started, but her eyes were already closed, she was already communicating with her blade. A shinigami's zanpakutō is a part of his or her soul, it's vital to a shinigami and he always carries his blade with him. These were some of the basics Nakajima-sensei had drilled into them, as well as ways to communicate with them. Recently, when Kaito had been talking to the spirit of his zanpakutō, he'd been descending into its world more and more. Which was, according to his sensei, was part of the process needed to learn the name of his zanpakutō, and thus, the way to learning shikai, the first stage of release of a Zanpakutō. There was no doubt in his mind that he would become able to perform shikai, but he wondered if he could ever attain the second, more powerful stage of release, bankai. It was said that only the taichō and a mere handful of other shinigami, most of the time also high ranking officers, had been able to attain it. Even in the great noble houses who were born with a higher level of reiatsu than anyone else, there were only a few in several generations able to reach the ultimate level in a shinigami's abilities. He wasn't a soul society born shinigami. But still, he was quite powerful for normal standards, so perhaps in the future, if he trained enough. Feeling his blade pulling on the edge of his mind, he shifted his focus towards it and immediately found himself inside his inner world, standing on one of the rocks floating through the air. In front of him was the dragon, its tail curled around its body as it laid on the bare rock, the movement caused by its deep breaths causing the scales to scrape over the rock, producing an eerie screeching, not unlike nails being dragged over a chalkboard, only a los less intrusive. Sensing Kaito's presence, the dragon raised its head, taking in Kaito with opaque, seemingly bottomless eyes that caused a cold shiver to run down Kaito's spine no matter how many times he saw them.

"So, here you are again", the dragon spoke. Unlike the first time he'd met the dragon, the time when he had awoken his sword, the dragon didn't use its booming voice anymore, now it spoke normally. It was still a bit loud, but that was to be expected.

"If my guess is correct, which it usually is", the dragon continued, "then you are here to try and learn my name. I will tell you now, you are coming very close to learning it. You have already passed a very important test, but before I will tell you my name, you must face another challenge that I have for you, but right now, you are not yet ready".

"Is the test that hard?", Kaito wondered. He'd become familiar with the dragon's strange way of doing things. He knew that the dragon was extremely smart and powerful, and that it did not do things without a specific reason. Every single conversation they had during the time he'd meditated and materialized his zanpakutō had been meaningful to him, every time he'd learned something about his power, the dragon or even something about soul society and the dangers he was likely to face.

"It is not really hard, it is just that you still need to attain the right state of mind necessary to survive it".

These words shook Kaito to his core. So it was possible for him to die when he tried to attain his shikai. He knew the dragon would never lie to him, it wouldn't have any use anyway. If he died, the dragon would die with him.

"Do not worry Kaito", the dragon suddenly spoke softly.

Kaito looked up towards the dragon's face. It had never addressed him with his name before.

"I can't tell you when the test will come to pass, only that it will be soon, very soon and you will know when it happens. But now you must leave this place. The enemy is coming, they're more powerful than you, but do not worry, there are allies nearby".

"What do you mean enemies?", Kaito shouted, but he was already being pulled back to the real world.

As Kaito felt himself being dragged into reality, he became aware of someone approaching rapidly from behind. Sensing that he had complete control over his body again, he whipped around, drawing his zanpakutō in the process, the centrifugal force of his rotation adding to his already powerful strike. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the reflection of the moon in a flash of steel racing to meet his own blade. The two swords struck, throwing sparks into the air, briefly illuminating Kaito's opponent. The man was huge, Kaito didn't even reach his shoulders. His imposing presence was enhanced by the man's face. His face might've been called handsome, if it weren't for the many scars it bore. Even his deep tan, no doubt obtained by running around in the sun for days on end, couldn't hide them. The strange thing was that, even though he was incredibly imposing, Kaito didn't feel threatened, even when he noticed a pair of pitch black eyes staring at him with a peculiar interest. Noting the white haori, Kaito realised that his opponent was a taichō, but before he even had time to withdraw and apologise, the man had already grabbed Kaito's blade with his bare hand.

"Nice swing there kid", the man grinned, "would've killed most men under my command before they would be able to blink. Now don't speak, you're wondering why I, a soul society taichō, am here at the academy right?"

Kaito nodded, his surprise had been complete, something he didn't like at all. The dragon had warned him of an approaching enemy, yet here he was, face to face with a taichō.

"I'm Fukuda Naoki", the man said, calmly letting go of Kaito's zanpakutō after he had made sure that Kaito wouldn't try to attack him", I'm the taichō of the eleventh squad of the Gotei 13, the leader of the most powerful squad of all. You saved quite a bit of my men during your stunt in the real world, but now I advise you to run away together with your girlfriend there".

He pointed at Emi, who had also snapped out of her concentration and was now still staring at Fukuda Taichō.

"Why", Kaito asked, still a bit dazed by the dragon's warning and the appearance of the strange taichō. Plucks of the man's unkempt black hair sticking out this way and that, standing in a sharp contrast with the pure white and obviously extremely well maintained haori.

"I'll make it short. We suspected that someone had spread hollow bait during the excursion to cause a massive amount of casualties amongst the graduating shinigami, thus undermining morale with the rest of the Gotei 13. They failed, mostly due to the performances of a few individuals", the man said, staring meaningfully towards both Kaito and Emi.

"In any case, we feared that they might try again, and this time, they'd mark both you two, Tanaka Miharu and Midorikawa Ryouji as special targets. I was sent here together with a number of other taichō and fukutaichō to stand guard over the academy just in case they wanted to try and attack the academy directly. Looks like we were right".

"Are you saying they're attacking the academy right now?", Kaito breathed. His mind couldn't quite comprehend what the man had just said. He'd always thought of soul society as a safe place, a haven for souls to rest or become shinigami.

"Yes", the man began but he was interrupted by a massive explosion that ripped through part of the nearest wall.

"Damn, looks like they broke through the barrier, a lot sooner than we expected too. You two get out of here. The moment they spot you, you're dead. They made a mistake last time, they won't be so eager to repeat it. Now go!"

Kaito and Emi recognised the seriousness in the man's voice and started running, only to stop dead in their tracks as they heard the man shout. Turning around, they saw something which made their blood turn to ice.

A blood red aura had enveloped the man, bathing the clearing in a dark red light, making it seem as if everything present had suddenly started bleeding. Suddenly, a beam of the same light shot straight up towards the sky.

"What are you doing?", Emi shouted at Fukuda Taichō, "you'll lead them straight towards here".

"Exactly, and that's where they'll find me, but not you, which makes it only worse for them". The evil grin that appeared on the taichō's face caused both Emi and Kaito to shudder. He had already descended in a mad lust for battle.

"Let's go Emi, we'll leave it to Fukuda Taichō", Kaito said, grabbing Emi's hand and running away from the clearing at full speed. The massive reiatsu emanating from the man already made it hard to breathe, even for him.

"Good, they're gone, now I don't have to traumatise them", Naoki said as he slowly drew his zanpakutō, "now, on to business. Rip them to shreds, Shuurajō".

The men sent to kill Kaito and Emi, drawn towards the massive reiatsu, landed the moment Fukuda Naoki, taichō of the eleventh division, released his zanpakutō. The sight they saw was both the most horrifying thing they had ever seen, and the last thing they would ever see.

Kaito's ears picked up several screams as they continued to run away from the training ground and towards the centre of the academy. Emi didn't notice, and he chose not to tell her. He didn't want to worry her, not with her already shaking a bit from knowing that this time, they were purposefully being targeted. Meanwhile, they could spot several explosions starting to appear near the walls, and closing in towards the main academy building. Kaito suddenly gasped as a massive yellow kidō beam suddenly came crashing right over their heads, incinerating trees and tall bushes that were unfortunate enough to be in its path.

"Kaito, look, it's aimed at the dormitories", Emi suddenly yelled.

Following Emi's outstretched hand, Kaito shifted his vision towards the dorms just as the building was struck head on by the beam. Light shone from the windows, milliseconds before they were shattered as massive jets of flame came rocketing outwards. The rook vanishing into a mushroom cloud of flames and black smoke. The shockwave took both Kaito and Emi off their feet as it blasted outwards, flattening everything nearby and throwing everything not properly anchored meters into the air. Dazed, his ears still ringing from the explosion, Kaito got back onto his feet. The scene resembled the apocalypse. The spell had hit the dormitory dead on. The entire midsection had been blown away, some burning rubble on the ground being all that remained. The sides of the building hadn't fared much better though. Holes had been torn into the walls because of the incredible power infused in the spell, several sections had already collapsed and those that were still standing were straining under the stress caused by massive fires and the increased load they were forced to carry.

Yoshikune Shinji was facing off with several of the unknown assailants when suddenly a massive explosion caused just about every head to turn.

"Dear God", Shinji whispered, his voice shaking. They'd taken precautions and started evacuating the dormitory the moment the attack had started, but there was no way it would be complete by now.

"Shinji, look out!", Tetsuo shouted as he blasted a kidō spell over his friend's shoulder, taking a surprised opponent full in the face, leaving only a smouldering mush.

"Tetsuo, you fall back to the main building, I'll wrap this up quickly".

Tetsuo nodded, understanding his friend's intentions, right now it was far more important to place protective spells over the remaining buildings of the academy in order to prevent any more casualties. Of the two of them, Tetsuo was far better with Bakudō than Shinji and thus the logical choice to fall back in order to prepare the much needed defences.

"Don't stay behind for too long my friend", Tetsuo said as he turned around and left his friend to face the horde of enemies now standing in front of him.

"I won't", Shinji smiled as he took in the number of enemies standing in front of him.

"Don't be so confident mister", one of the assailants shouted, "you may be a taichō class shinigami, but we can still take you, we've been able to make a taichō flee when he was in the real world, and the spiritual pressure he emitted was a lot stronger than yours".

"Is that so? Well then, I guess I'll have to fill you guys in on a little secret. Did you know that when a shinigami of taichō or fukutaichō level travels to the real world, his powers are severely limited?"

Shinji smiled again, he had them. He could even see the look of surprise right through their masks.

"Don't listen to him, he's bluffing. He wants to scare us".

"I wonder about that", Shinji said as he raised his zanpakutō, "Reap the harvest, Akarikai!".

The light emitted by his scythe blinded several of the enemies that had come a little too close, only to result in them being cleaved in half as Shinji swung it down in a vicious arc. Several more of his opponents fell in battle as he started weaving through them in a unique style of combat he had developed. Almost resembling a dance, it focussed on creating flowing movements that kept on adding power as the rotation continued. He always boasted a bit of being able to vary and time his movements so that he could keep the motion going indefinitely. Combined with his scythe, the rapid circular motions caused devastating wounds to anyone careless enough to try and step within his perimeter.

It took Shinji less than a minute to eliminate every single opponent he could find in the immediate area. His opponents had been good, but only compared to the level of an academy student. He estimated that his fourth seat wouldn't have any problem in dealing with one of these guys. The problem was, they were methodically hunting in packs, trying to wear out the stronger opponents in order to take them down.

Deciding his job of clearing out the training ground he was in, he turned around towards the main academy building when suddenly, another large kidō beam shot out from the distance and raced across the grounds towards the main building where, except for a few stragglers such as himself, now practically every student and defender was located.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"They're using a Kidō cannon", Midorikawa explained to Kaito and Emi. They'd started searching for their friends the moment they had entered the main academy building. Not that it was hard to miss a small girl constantly jumping around above the crowd that had now gathered in the central plaza.

"What's that?", Kaito asked, not knowing what his friend meant.

"It's a device specially created to fire massive blasts of kidō energy. Much like a normal person can fire a kidō spell, the kidō cannon can be charged up by several people, allowing shots of devastating power to be unleashed. The thing that's bothering me though, is that I thought that the Gotei 13 were the only ones that have one. But they can't be the ones attacking us, there are several taichō here with a considerable detachment of their highest ranking officers".

"We know, we ran into the eleventh division taichō out there", Emi nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, from what I heard, there's a grand total of six fukutaichō and five taichō present here at the school", a voice suddenly came from behind Kaito. As the group turned as one, the owner of the voice stepped out of a shadowy niche in the wall.

"Sakamoto", Midorikawa said, surprise audible in his voice, "how do you know that?"

"I overheard some seated officers of the sixth talking. Apparently there's Fukuda Naoki, the eleventh division taichō, as Kaito and Emi said. Then there's Yoshikune Shinji, Handa Tetsuo, Fukuzawa Yushio and Kago Asuka present, the fifth, sixth, twelfth and fourth division taichō respectively. Each with their fukutaichō and some of their seated officers. The last fukutaichō is Hasegawa Kazuma's subordinate, just in case you don't know Kaito, he's the sōtaichō. He's here to oversee the operation and to report back".

"In any case", Midorikawa continued, "we still need to deal with that kidō cannon. They've used it once before, on the dorms, so I think they want to cause as much damage and casualties as possible with it. My guess is that they'll fire at this building next".

"My deduction exactly", Sakamoto nodded, "the problem is, no one present here can deflect that blast when it's coming, and to know where it's located, we'll need it to fire again".

"But what about the taichō?", Emi wondered.

"No go, they're still holding the perimeter. If they were to leave their posts, the attackers would have no problem overrunning this position. We may be accompanied by a sizeable complement of high ranking officers, but if we're faced with a decently organised army, which I suspect, then they'll use superior numbers to overtake them".

"So that means we'll be the ones to take out that cannon", Kaito sighed.

"Looks that way yes", Sakamoto said, staring at the floor. He obviously wasn't too keen on going out there, possibly to get himself killed. But neither were Kaito, Emi, Miharu or Midorikawa.

"Wether we go or not, just the five of us isn't going to be enough. We still need some more support", Kaito said, looking around in the room. The look on his face changed drastically as he saw someone sitting in a corner, staring directly at him. It was Akimoto Momiji.

"You called?", he grinned, "both myself and Saruwatari will join you if you decide to go out there".

"Thanks, it's appreciated", Kaito nodded at what some called his biggest rival, not that Kaito thought of him that way though. He knew that his abilities were now far larger than those of Akimoto. Akimoto probably knew as well, since he hadn't been challenging Kaito anymore in a long time.

"But there's still the problem of the enemy troops being capable of overpowering us", Kaito continued, "Naoki taichō himself told me that this time, both Emi, Miharu, Midorikawa and myself are targets since we helped in preventing a lot of casualties during the excursion. We made ourselves a reputation, and apparently, it has reached the ears of our enemies".

"So, you're planning to go out anyway, even in spite of Naoki taichō's warning", a voice called out from a nearby roof. Jumping down from it, the figure fell and landed in the middle of the group in a blur of white and black.

"Handa-taichō", Sakamoto replied respectfully.

"So you said they're using a kidō cannon eh? That complicates things", Tetsuo said as he rubbed his chin in irritation. He was about to say something again when the sky west of the academy lit up, immediately followed by another blast from the cannon.

"Incoming!", one of the shinigami helping the injured students yelled as he threw himself over some of the injured trainees.

"Bakudō no 81, Danku".

A barrier in the form of a wall suddenly sprang up in front of the blast, causing it to burst into fragments and shower down on what remained of the academy.

Kaito and his group looked at Tetsuo, their mouths hanging open in amazement. They'd just seen a man perform an eighties forbidden bakudō, chantless incantation, as if it were nothing, Midorikawa currently couldn't even manage chantless incantations of anything over fifty.

"I got their position sir", a blonde haired fukutaichō suddenly came down from the roof as well, "they're located to the west of the academy, about a mile away from the wall, or what's left of it".

Having seen the shield erected by Tetsuo, Shinji sighed in relief. He now knew that the people in the main building were safe. Using his scythe, he quickly cut through some opposition as he continued making his way back to where his friend was. Shinji raised his hand and cast a special kidō spell that had been developed for quick battlefield communication. It caused a bright flare to rocket up into the sky, which would remain there for a while, bathing the environment in a bright green light, the flare itself could be seen for miles. Having fired the signal to his fellow taichō that were still holding the perimeter, Shinji retreated to the main building so that they could bolster their defences. As he made his way back, he encountered several opponents that had managed to sneak past him or another taichō amidst the confusion. With utmost precision, he erased any trace of them. Noticing movement in a forest out of the corner of his eye, Shinji shifted his path to the right, only to see an entranced Naoki burst out of the underbrush, taking several trees with him. The man was obviously amusing himself. Several of the insurgents had been impaled on his zanpakutō. His eyes were aflame with bloodlust as he brought his sword down in a vicious arc, swinging the corpses off his sword.

"They're already dead Naoki-san", Shinji said calmly to his fellow taichō, but to no avail. After having launched the bodies off his sword, Naoki had vanished, only to reappear directly in the path of the corpses that were flying through the air. Shouting a battle cry, he planted his fist into the corpses, the impact combined with the damage done earlier causing them to disintegrate. Shinji took shelter behind a nearby tree as the remaining pieces of the attackers rained down upon Naoki, causing his bloodlust to dissipate.

"I trust you had some fun here Naoki-san?", Shinji asked the taichō as he stepped from behind the tree.

"Cheh, these weaklings are useless, it's like squashing bugs", the leader of the eleventh division cursed as he knocked one of the bigger pieces of flesh off his shoulder, annoyed by the blood seeping into his clothes. It'd take a while to get his haori back to its original colour.

"Haven't you ever heard of holding back every once in a while Naoki-san?", Shinji sighed.

"That's a word that's not in my vocabulary my friend, you of all people ought to know that".

"We better get back to the main building", Shinji continued as he watched one of the most feared men of the Gotei 13 scowl as he took a look at his now almost ruined coat, "they'll be needing our help".

"Agreed, at the very least they'll send some strong guys to attack us, or at least that's what I'm hoping for".

After Naoki had put on his coat again, they made their way back, systematically eradicating any resistance they encountered.

"Sir, they're pulling back towards the main building", the man clad in the same outfit as those that had attacked the academy said to his superior.

"Excellent, move all our teams forward and have the third cannon crew stand by".

"Sir, with all due respect, our previous shot was blocked as if it was nothing, shouldn't we wait until the one responsible for that spell has been taken out?"

"There are only a few people that can cast that specific spell, and all of them are taichō class or nearing that level. Besides, if we let up now, they might recover. It's not spell you can perform for hours on end, yet we, with our cannon and our four teams can. As long as we time the shots well, giving our different teams enough time to rest and recuperate, we can continue to fire indefinitely. Now move teams six to fourteen to the south of the academy and order them to attack in full force".

"But sir, those are the teams that are guarding the cannon, without them it's vulnerable to attack".

"Shut up you idiot, I'm fully aware of that, which is exactly why I'm ordering those squads to attack them from the south. The best way to protect something from your enemy, is to shift his focus to something else, in this case, his own defence. With those squads tying up the taichō present in the main building, they won't have anyone to send here to take out the cannon".

"But sir, what about those students that are supposedly incredibly strong? What if they're sent out?"

"Then they'll still have to deal with my personal guard, and I seriously doubt that a handful of mere shinigami trainees could take them on, even if they're renowned for their strength".

Noticing the shadows in the treetops nearby the command post, the soldier swallowed hard, he'd heard enough stories about his commander's elite guard. The stories made shivers run down his spine, most of those men were at the same level as a high ranking seated officer, with their leader supposedly having taken out a fukutaichō before he became a part of the elite guard. They were renowned to be both powerful and merciless. He pitied the poor souls that would encounter those guys in direct combat.

"So, you're heading out into battle again Kaito-kun?", Shinji frowned as he encountered the group of students at the main building.

"We don't have any other choice Shinji-san", Kaito replied. He knew the taichō had realised the severity of the situation as well and that there was no other choice.

"So you're going out there eh?", Naoki suddenly cut in, "great, I'll go with you, gives me a chance to cut up some more people on the way". The hot headed and bloodthirsty taichō was about to take a head start when he was suddenly clobbered into the pavement by a red headed beauty wearing a white haori as well, the sign twelve adorning the back of the coat.

"Oh no you are, you're going to stay right here and help defend this building Naoki", Yushio said to her husband.

Naoki wanted to retort, but was cut short by a short glare from his wife. He knew better than to argue with her. The two swords that were strapped on her back only adding to this fact. Nevertheless, he loved her most when she was fighting. The sharp contrast between her waist long hair, bound in a long, flowing ponytail, the shimmer of her twin blades and the gray cloth that held the sheaths of her swords on her back never ceased to entrance him. Which was also one of the reasons why he always lost to her in a fight. The other reason being that she was an excellent fighter and one of the most skilled and experienced taichō of the Gotei 13.

"You are going to stay here and help us defend this building Naoki", Yushio told her husband, grabbing his arm as she dragged him off.

"Tetsuo-kun is busy with fending off any more of those kidō attacks, and Kago-san is busy tending to the wounded, which leaves only four of us to defend the perimeter, now get your ass to your sector".

Not willing to risk another beating, Naoki quickly stopped resisting as he was dragged off to the south side of the academy, leaving his fellow taichō and the students behind. Meanwhile, Kaito and the rest couldn't believe what they had just seen. Here was one of the most feared men in Soul Society, being bossed by his wife as if he was a cute little puppy.

"Don't you dare get any ideas Emi", Kaito growled under his breath as he saw the look on Emi's face, "you are not going to do that with me".

"What? I was just wondering if I need to get my nails done the next time I'm home", Emi responded sarcastically.

"Right, and I'm Santa", Kaito retorted, not willing to let his girlfriend get away with her reply that easily.

"Who's Santa?"

"Forget it". He'd forgotten Emi didn't know anything about Santa, he should've picked something from the Gotei 13.

"If you two newlyweds are done, can we perhaps get on with this mission?", Shinji sighed as he witnessed the young couple bicker a bit.

Hearing the taichō's comment, they stopped immediately, blushing a bit as they saw the grins on their friends faces.

"Well, knowing Yuuji-san, that might not be too far off when he learns of your relationship", Shinji continued, causing the blush on Kaito's and Emi's face to turn a few shades darker as he rubbed it in a bit more.

"In any case, that won't happen if we just continue to stand around here like fools", Shinji suddenly shifted to a much more serious tone, "your main objective is to take out the kidō cannon and to return alive, don't take any unnecessary risks and keep engagements to a minimum, now move out".

"Yes sir", the seven trainees saluted before they blasted off towards the location of the cannon, using shunpō to cover as much ground as possible in a single leap.

Kaito, in the lead of the group, pushed his team members as hard as he could without making them fall behind, which was not an easy task, given his already incredible speed.

"I hope you manage to uphold your vow", he suddenly heard his zanpakutō speak in his mind.

"I will", Kaito replied in his mind. He was not about to let his friends down, not now, not ever.

"Looks like they were stupid enough to send out those students after all", the leader of the enemy commander's elite guard sneered as he witnessed them cross the now devastated academy grounds.

"They do have some speed and power, but only compared to a normal student. Compared to us, they're nothing", the leader heard one of his subordinates laugh.

"Keep it down you idiot, they still haven't detected us and I intend to keep it that way".

"My apologies Kawazoe-sama", the soldier quickly bowed. He knew better than to anger his commander.

Kawazoe Jun looked out over the academy grounds towards the oncoming students. It was a pity that he had to fight such promising shinigami. Even more so because he had to kill them in the process. No one had fought him, and lived to tell the tale. Something he intended to keep that way.

"There's one for each of us, pick your targets and engage", Jun ordered his men, "but don't touch the one that's in the lead, he's mine.

Nodding in acknowledgement, his men vanished from the treetops they had been hiding in.

"Someone's coming", Miharu said as she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

"What do you mean?", Akimoto asked as he looked at the small girl, wondering how she knew that there was someone approaching them.

"She's right", Kaito said. He'd suddenly felt the pressure as well. Whoever they were, they were hiding their reiatsu, and were pretty good at it too, making it impossible to measure their strength without confronting them, something that Kaito wasn't too eager to do.

"So two of them noticed us, not bad", Jun spoke to himself as he saw the sudden change in their behaviour, "well then, looks like it's time to introduce ourselves". Grinning, he jumped towards his prey.

Sakamoto was the first one to spot their enemies as they launched themselves into the air. Their uniforms clearly visible in the combined light of the moon and the now fading flare, he was puzzled as to the appearance of the enemy soldiers. They wore a black leather armour with several red bands strapped in an artistic manner over any possible gaps, giving them a strangely surrealistic appearance. On their uniforms, there was a small circular patch of white cloth, adorned with a strange broken V-shaped dagger inscribed with runes. This intrigued Sakamoto, for he had never seen such a logo, as a matter of fact, he had never encountered anything about a V-shaped dagger decorated with runes in any of the books he had read during his hour long plundering sessions of the academy library. He took a mental note of giving Yoshikune taichō a detailed description of what he'd seen, that is, if he made it out alive.

With a deafening roar, Jun landed on the ground in front of the students, cracking the pavement and throwing up a large cloud of dust in the process. He always found it amusing to see the surprised reactions of weaker opponents. He was disappointed when he found that instead of jumping back, the trainees just moved into a combat stance.

"Awww, these guys are no fun", he thought to himself.

"I suppose you're the strongest one of this group", Jun said as he pointed at Kaito.

"That depends", Kaito answered calmly as he observed his opponent. The man was muscular and clearly a seasoned fighter. A few scars lines his bare upper arms and continued upwards to his shoulders, where they were hidden by the same armour his comrades were wearing. The man's face was drawn into a focussed stare, leering at Kaito as if he was some sort of prized prey. The silver eyes almost nailing him to the spot with their intense gaze. His short silver hair quivered in a small breeze as he slowly moved his gaze over the rest of the group of students, the rest of his body remaining perfectly still. Kaito had sensed the man's monstrous reiatsu the moment he'd impacted the ground. He was not someone to be trifled with.

"From the way you appeared before us, I'd say it's a safe bet to say that you're here to fight us. Now the question remains, what kind of fight are you looking for?"

"Just a simple one on one fight with the strongest swordfighter amongst you".

"Then I am indeed the one you seek".

"Excellent, I only hope your comrades will entertain my subordinates as well", Jun said as the rest of his squad landed in a circle around Kaito and his friends.

"That depends on how strong your teammates are", Kaito replied, purposefully keeping his voice steady. He knew the man would take advantage of even the slightest hint of fear. "But let's move away a bit, I'd hate you accidentally injuring any of your teammates with your death throes".

"Got a little spunk here eh? Fine, lead the way, but not too far please". Jun grinned, this guy was really keeping his cool. Perhaps finally he could have a decent bout against a powerful opponent.

Careful not to alert his opponent, Kaito signalled Emi and the rest of his friends not to intervene, he didn't want her to get hurt. Compared to his opponent, theirs were quite a bit weaker and shouldn't be a problem for any of them.

"Let's go", Kaito yelled as he used shunpō to put a bit of distance between him and his friends, only to notice the strange soldier vanish and appear at the location he'd planned on reaching.

"You're a bit slow mister, perhaps you shouldn't be so confident about your own abilities", Jun grinned as Kaito arrived.

"Oh really? I was only holding back to make sure you could keep up with me".

"Well, I have to admit, you've got both spunk and your way with words a bit, now let's see if you can handle yourself in a fight as well".

Drawing his blade, Jun prepared himself to charge straight at Kaito when he noticed that Kaito was no longer standing in front of him, but was sailing down from the sky, his sword raised in an attempt to cleave Jun clean in two.

"How the hell?", Jun cursed as he leapt to the side, dodging the blade as it came crashing down onto the bare earth, creating a deep gash in it in the process.

"Looks like you weren't joking about your speed kid, now let's see how long you can keep that up".

Jun moved his sword to his side, preparing for a sideways swipe at Kaito, who in turn was forced to dodge, though by a wide margin. Sensing an opening, Kaito returned the favour immediately and attacked himself, using full the momentary opening in Jun's defence to his full advantage. Cursing again, Jun ducked under the swing and immediately jumped back again to put some distance between him and Kaito.

"Just who is this guy?", Jun asked himself as his feet made skidded over the pavement.

"Hmmm, didn't quite get you there", Kaito sighed, trying to sound as bored as possible as he removed some clothing from his sword.

Cursing, Jun reached for his back, only to find his armour in tatters, Kaito's sword had cleaved right through it.

"All right kid, you asked for it. Slash, Mouko!"

A huge wave of power burst forward the moment Jun released his zanpakutō, forcing Kaito to shield himself with his arm.

"Do you honestly think that you can win from me kid? You're a shinigami trainee, I'm a veteran ex-shinigami. My power can be compared to a fukutaichō of the Gotei 13. There's no way you can win".

Kaito knew the man wasn't bluffing. He felt the spiritual pressure radiating off the man. And his released zanpakutō only made that even more clear. The sword had changed into a set of three long claws attached to his wrist, resembling a tiger's claws. The fact that the three blades were now aflame with a white and orange reiatsu only served to make that more obvious.

"I'll tell you my name as a final courtesy kid, if you're prepared to die in battle, you should at least want to know the name of the one that killed you. My name is Kawazoe Jun. It was fun, but sadly enough, I have to end it right here".

Kaito watched the man vanish. Reacting purely on instinct, he leapt forward to dodge an attack he knew was coming. He wasn't quick enough though, for soon he felt three separate claws rip through his clothes and skin, causing blood to immediately soak his back as it streamed from the wounds.

"Nice reflex kid, I'll give you that, but this is the end for you", Jun said as he raised his claw in front of him.

Elsewhere, Emi and the rest didn't have too much trouble in finishing off Jun's subordinates. Midorikawa being the only one to suffer an injury, annoying him to no end, which in turn, caused him to unleash a high level spell onto his unfortunate opponent, blasting him into oblivion. Having finished their fights, they were now looking at Kaito's fight, desperately holding themselves back so that they wouldn't interfere.

That changed the moment Jun released his zanpakutō. Feeling the massive burst of power coming from their only remaining opponent, Emi shot forward to aid Kaito, only to be stopped in her tracks by Kaito himself.

"Don't come near here Emi", Kaito shouted the moment he saw Emi move towards him, "we were given specific orders, now go destroy that cannon".

"But what about you?", Emi cried, she didn't want to leave her love alone while he was fighting someone this powerful.

"I'll be fine", Kaito replied. He noticed Emi being on the verge of tears. Remembering his oath, he steeled himself as he saw the rest of his friends move away towards their objective, dragging Emi with them in the process.

"I see, so she's the one you love", Jun sighed at the sight of the small love scene developing in front of him, "in that case, I'm sorry that I'll have to end your relationship, but it's somewhat hard to love a dead person. But you know what, I'll send her after you once I finish up here".

He was surprised to see Kaito stare at him with a murderous look in his eyes. Jun could swear they were glowing with a blue reiatsu.

"You won't hurt her, EVER!", Kaito roared as he charged at Jun, slashing violently, forcing Jun to take on a defensive stance, leaving him unable to attack.

"Damn you kid, I didn't want to do this to you, but you leave me no choice", Jun said as he used his speed to put some distance between him and the enraged shinigami.

"Slash him, Mouko", Jun shouted again as he focussed the aura enveloping his claw to the tips and slashed seemingly into thin air. Jun grinned as the glowing aura around his claw vanished. Kaito wondered what had just happened. He'd seen Jun swing his weapon at him while he was still far away from his opponent. He knew what had happened the second he felt the skin on his chest tear open.

"Is this the limit of your resolve Kaito?", Kaito heard his sword speak in his mind as he staggered backwards, clutching his wounded chest with his left hand.

"Like hell it is, who does this guy think he is, threatening Emi like that".

Kaito's rage was still seething in his mind, but as it slowly faded away, it was replaced by a resoluteness. He was not about to let Emi or himself die by the hand of his opponent.

"Then I suppose you're finally ready Kaito. Prepare yourself", his sword spoke as knowledge flooded Kaito's mind. Instantly, he knew almost everything about his zanpakutō as they conversed for hours inside his mental world when only a fraction of a second passed outside.

A bright flash in the distance illuminated the night sky, signifying the destruction of the cannon by the hand of one of Midorikawa's spells. The bright glow that was cast upon the two men duelling giving them an eerie presence.

"This ends here Kawazoe Jun", Kaito said as he planted his sword into the earth.

"Just to be sure, I'll tell you my name, Fujiwara Kaito. Remember it well", he said as he kneeled next to his sword, his head resting against the blade.

"Scorch the heavens. Slash the sky. HYAKUENRAI!"


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jun shielded his eyes as a massive lightning strike came down upon his adversary, engulfing him in its energy. A massive amount of smoke was thrown up as the intense heat seared everything in its range.

"What the hell?", Jun asked himself as he jumped back. The heat had become too intense to bear.

Suddenly, the lightning vanished, causing the air that had expanded due to the massive build-up of heat to collapse onto itself, resulting in a massive shockwave that rattled every bone in Jun's body and caused every surviving window within a three mile radius to shatter under the intense vibrations. Jun desperately tried to keep out the smoke out of his eyes, the stinging caused tears to form which blurred his vision. The stench of seared flesh suddenly filled the air. The corpses of Jun's subordinates had been within the reach of the heat and had been seared as a result. He coughed as he inhaled some of the smoke.

"I never thought there was a student here in the academy that could release his zanpakutō, this guy really is something".

The smoke cleared as a sudden gust of wind picked up, leaving the two combatants facing each other on their field of battle. Curious as to what his opponent had done, Jun studied Kaito and noted that now, he was holding two swords instead of one. Both still looked like regular zanpakutō, with a few differences, first of all, the back on both swords had become lined with backwardly curved spikes, giving them the impression of a dragon's spiked back. A chain was attached to the end of each blade's hilt, the chain itself running up to Kaito's elbow before curling around his upper arm and finally vanishing through the back of his clothing. The edges of the swords glittered in the light being emitted by the constant arcing of lightning that now covered Kaito's body while a continuous torrent of air encircled Kaito's body, throwing small amounts of dust into the air which obscured his features as they moved through the faint blue aura surrounding him.

"I hope you're ready for this Kawazoe Jun", Kaito glared as he raised his head, the glow in his eyes now clearly visible, giving him a terrifying presence.

Jun noticed the glow in Kaito's eyes intensify as he raised his right sword.

"This ends here", Kaito spoke as he brought down the sword, causing a violent arc of lightning to blast away from the blade, tearing up the earth as it raced towards Jun with terrifying speed. Having just enough time to raise his claw in defence, Jun took the full brunt of the blast as it struck him, the metal of his blade conducting the raw electricity and transmitting it into his body. The jolt sent him to his knees as his muscles started to contract randomly, leaving him unable to control his own movements. As he slowly regained control, he raised his head to look at Kaito, who was far from done with his attack. Having brought down his right hand sword, he had quickly spun his other sword into a backwards grip and had begun a horizontal swing. Jun expected another lightning spike, but was surprised to see that instead of lighting, the blade was now firing a translucent blade of air towards him. His muscles still sore and unable to respond from the lightning, Jun was struck by the second attack as well, which tore through his armour and penetrated his skin, leaving a deep gash in his torso. The sheer impact of the blade of air causing Jun to be thrown back several meters.

"You're finished Kawazoe Jun", Kaito spoke coldly as he slowly approached Jun, his swords encircled by their respective element.

"This fight is indeed finished Fujiwara Kaito, but I'm not", Jun said as he raised himself back onto his feet, coughing up a few handfuls of blood in the process, "you may be stronger than me right now, but I will grow stronger myself, and I'll be challenging you again in the future, you can count on that".

He raised his hand, a long white ribbon clutched in his fist which immediately surrounded him in long loose swirls.

"We shall meet again", Jun said as the ribbon completely enveloped him and vanished, taking him with it.

"Kaito, are you alright?"

Turning towards the source of the sound, Kaito spotted Emi and the others race towards him. Emi paled as she saw the Kaito's bloodied chest and tears started to well up as she hurriedly ran towards him.

"I'm fine", he responded as he slowly forced the reiatsu away from his zanpakutō, causing the menacing elements that were still infused in the twin blades to subside, Emi carefully helping him to his feet.

"He ran, I couldn't finish him", Kaito said as he took a good look at his friends. They were all fine, though Midorikawa still had an annoyed expression on his face. A glimmer near Emi's side suddenly caught his eye though, and as he took a closer look at it, he noticed that her own zanpakutō had also changed its shape. It had lengthened into a long staff that split into two thin blades around the middle, the two pieces arcing outwards a bit before curving back together until they almost touched in the end, water was still dripping from the still glimmering edges of the blades.

"So, you managed to release your zanpakutō Emi", Kaito noted as he sealed his own zanpakutō again and sheathed it. He didn't have the necessary power to keep it released anymore.

"Apparently, as did you Kaito", Emi smiled as she too sealed her sword.

"It was necessary though", Sakamoto butted in on the conversation, "If Emi hadn't released her power, we'd be in some serious trouble by now. The cannon was heavily guarded, even though they had apparently sent away about three quarters of its defence moments before we struck".

"Midorikawa here", Sakamoto continued as he pointed to Midorikawa, who was being poked by Miharu in an attempt to get the scowl off his face, "was instrumental to our victory. We held off the enemy forces while he prepared a kidō spell powerful enough to destroy the cannon. Afterwards, the enemy forces retreated almost immediately, a logical choice of their commander".

"Figures they'd retreat after losing their heavy artillery, no army can stand up against six taichō class shinigami with just numbers on their side", Akimoto commented.

"We'd better get back, perhaps they need our help in cleaning up the rest of the enemy forces", Kaito said as he looked back to the academy building where clashes of spiritual pressure could still be felt.

"Good idea", Sakamoto replied as they went back to the main building, taking out the occasional straggler on the way.

Kago Asuka, taichō of the fourth division was healing one of the wounded academy students when she noticed one of the enemy soldiers flying directly at her.

"Hey, Naoki, how many times have I told you, I don't heal enemy soldiers, and I certainly can't do anything with these corpses you've been sending me, so quit it would you?", Asuka yelled to the man on the other side of the wall as she knocked the dead enemy soldier onto a heap that had been steadily growing as the battle outside the walls raged on.

"Sorry Asuka, it's just that I'm having so much fun, I can hardly control myself", Naoki shouted in response.

"Yeah, well then aim them somewhere else, it's getting annoying to find myself continuously being bombarded with corpses, I've got enough on my hands as it is".

"Hey, knock it off you two", Tetsuo yelled as he concentrated on spotting another kidō blast coming from the cannon.

"I've got to focus here, something that's quite difficult with you two quarrelling all the time. Do you want me to get Yushio to help sort out your differences perhaps?"

"No thanks, we're good", Naoki shouted in response. He'd been scolded enough by his wife for one day already and he didn't want her to ruin his good mood so he began to work his way through the seemingly endless stream of enemy soldiers with a little more care in filleting them and where he threw what remained, not that he could really decide where they flew.

"All forces, retreat", a voice suddenly shouted over the battlefield, audible even over the thundering noise created by the battle. Within seconds, all the remaining attackers had started retreating, much to Naoki's chagrin.

"Oh no you don't", he yelled as he watched the nearest enemies make a hasty retreat, completely dropping their defence in the process.

"Rip them to shreds, Shuurajō", Naoki shouted as he released his zanpakutō for the second time that night. Horrified, the men watched the blood red reiatsu stream from the taichō that was pursuing them. Slowly, his zanpakutō split into a multitude of long tentacles, rows on sharp hooks and spikes adorning the sides, the tips splitting into four separate pieces, the inside of each one lined with teeth, all curved backwards, leading towards a central mouth. Blood oozed from Naoki's weapon as the tentacles flashed towards the terrified men. Some were impaled, others just shredded to bits as they were enveloped by several tentacles at once and a few got caught by the mouths which carved through their skins, sucking out their blood and leaving nothing but empty husks in their wake.

"Last one", Naoki grinned as he directed his sword towards the one soul unfortunate enough to remain within his range. Blood spurted from the man's mouth as the tentacle hit him in the back and emerged on the other side of his body, covered in blood. Nonchalantly, Naoki whipped his sword back into its sealed shape, flinging the man over the wall in the process.

"NAOKI!"

"Oh crap"

After having warned Naoki several times, Asuka decided that enough was enough. She hadn't been able to dodge or redirect the last corpse, which was now lying at her feet. Enraged, she grabbed the corpse and flung it at Naoki, the fact that there was a wall of more than a meter thick in between proved to be a mere detail as the corpse slammed through the wall and into Naoki's face, causing him to topple backwards onto several more corpses that littered the area outside the main building.

Naoki grabbed several of the corpses that were lying in his vicinity and prepared to send them flying to Asuka when he suddenly felt the reiatsu of his wife approaching causing him to quickly let go of the thought.

"Looks like those students of your were able to take out the cannon Shinji", Yushio said calmly to her former subordinate as she slowly looked around the academy, "it seems your interest in them was well founded".

"I knew they were special, each and every one of them. Kaito especially, he caught my eye the moment I saw him in the real world. Putting him together with the Shimizu heir and the others only reinforced my hope for them".

"Indeed, they really work well together", Yushio admitted. Her student had chosen wisely and created a team that she knew would become well known throughout Soul Society in the future.

"Looks like they're here Shinji", Tetsuo said as he jumped down from the roof and joined the other taichō that had begun gathering.

"Good. Asuka-san, what's the status of the students?"

"Several of the classes of the lower grades were annihilated. They weren't fast enough to evacuate the dormitories. After that we lost several students as we brought them here as well as a of the shinigami escorting them. Total losses are around a hundred students and about a dozen of our shinigami, most of them were caught in the blast that took out the dorms. One teacher was also killed while he was helping to evacuate. They hit us hard".

Hearing of the toll the attack had taken, the taichō lowered their heads. Never before had the academy been a target of a large scale attack, and never before had they lost so many students in such a short amount of time.

Hearing the sound of several feet touching the ground near them, they looked up to see the brave team of students standing in front of them. Bloodied, but victorious.

"Handa Taichō", Sakamoto saluted formally as he approached his superior officer, the one that had sent them on their mission, "primary mission objective has been accomplished. The enemy kidō cannon has been destroyed. Resistance was encountered along the way, but was dealt with primarily by Shimizu-san and Fujiwara-san who released their zanpakutō to overpower the opposing forces. I shall provide you with an extensive mission report when we have reorganised".

Hearing Sakamoto's report, the eyes of all the taichō except Shinji widened. They had never before encountered a student capable of releasing his zanpakutō while in the academy before and here they were faced with two at once.

"Good job, all of you", Tetsuo said as he looked at the group in front of him, "Kaito-kun, you're looking a bit beaten up".

"Yes sir, I faced an enemy officer of considerable strength, I believe he was of the same level as a fukutaichō. It took considerable effort to make him retreat".

"Alright mister", Asuka interrupted Kaito as she grabbed his clothes, "you're injured and you're going to stop playing hero until I've healed those wounds on you. And I don't want to hear anything about you being ok, because you're not".

"I'd as she says kid", Naoki whispered as Kaito was dragged past the eleventh division taichō, "you don't want to get her mad".

"Naoki, I heard that you know".

Emi watched Kaito being dragged off by the fourth division taichō and was about to follow him when suddenly a voice halted her.

"Emi, I'm so glad to see you're ok".

Turning around, Emi saw her father, Shimizu Yuuji, taichō of the ninth division, make his way through the crowd.

"Handa-san", Yuuji said as he turned towards Tetsuo, "in the future, please refrain from sending my only daughter on dangerous missions such as the one today".

"I assure you Shimizu-san, that it was the only possibility at the moment, given the fact that our available forces were preoccupied with holding the perimeter around this building. In addition to that, your daughter and several of her classmates volunteered for the mission. In fact, I believe they would've even gone out to destroy that cannon without me ordering them to".

"Even so, please make sure that my daughter is safe in the future".

"I'll try, but that depends on her commanding officer when she's assigned to one of the divisions".

"True, now, Emi", Yuuji said sternly as he turned to face his daughter, "who of these people is the one named Fujiwara Kaito?"

"He was taken away for treatment by Kago Taichō father, he sustained some injuries during his battle with an enemy officer".

Yuuji sighed, if he'd been taken away by Asuka, the chance of getting to speak him before she was done with him was practically zero, unless you wanted to end up on the operating table with a cracked skull. She was notorious for her temper if she was interrupted during treatment of her patients.

"Very well then, I shall take my leave now. Emi, you shall remain here and finish your training. After you graduate, I shall be expecting both you and Fujiwara-kun at my mansion. I'll need to talk to both of you".

Bowing, Emi acknowledged her father's request as he turned and walked away to resume his duties as a taichō. He would read about their mission in the report that he would undoubtedly receive.

"I'm off to bed", Sakamoto suddenly said as he turned around and left to find a place to sleep. Not an easy task with the dorms in rubble and with all of the students crammed into the main building. With him, Akimoto, Saruwatari and the taichō also went their separate ways. Eventually, Miharu and Midorikawa left in search of a place to rest, with Emi being the only one to remain on her place.

"You still here?", she suddenly heard a voice behind her talk softly.

She turned around, only to stare straight into Kaito's eyes, his chest had been carefully wrapped in bandages, but nevertheless, he was standing before her, perfectly all right. Slowly she moved her hands over the bandages, careful not to hurt him.

"How does it feel Kaito?"

"Still hurts a bit, but I'll live", he replied calmly as he too wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, drawing her closer to him.

"Sorry I made you worry Emi", he whispered in her ear as he pulled her even deeper into the hug.

"Don't worry about it, you're all right, that's all that matters to me Kaito", she said as she snuggled into his chest, allowing the warmth of his body to comfort her.

They remained like that for several minutes, until Emi finally pulled away, her eyes almost shining in the moonlight. Without a word, she took his hand and pulled him along with her on her search for a secluded place to sleep.

"You've failed me Kawazoe", the man spoke to his subordinate, "it was due to your inability to stop those puny students that the cannon was destroyed, resulting in the failure of the mission and the loss of almost our entire strike force. For this failure, you will pay dearly. You are hereby, by my personal order, banished from the brotherhood, effective immediately".

This verdict caused Jun to look up at his commanding officer, his eyes alight with fury. Forcing himself to calm down, he stood up, his hand already itching. He decided to let it do what it wanted.

"For your information sir, do you know what the main cause of death for officers on the battlefield is?", Jun asked as he slowly drew his zanpakutō, causing the man in front of him to stumble backwards, fear in his eyes.

The blade flashed, blood splattered on the walls as it slashed through the body of the former commanding officer.

"It's assassination by their subordinates", Jun answered to the man that was now slowly dying in front of him, his throat slit, preventing him from even uttering anything more than a faint gurgle.

The man died as Jun cleaned off his sword and walked out of the room, the order of his banishment never having reached the ears of any other member of the brotherhood. He knew he didn't have to fear any repercussions for killing the old fool. Assassinations were common practise in the order and were usually left unsolved unless the solution presented itself on a silver platter. His strength and fame in the brotherhood would take care of any suspicion in the brotherhood in case any would arise at all.

Kaito was awoken by several rays of light that fell through cracks in the ceiling, most of them a result of the previous battle. Emi had led him on a search through the entire building for a place to sleep until they'd finally found a way into the attic. Having made sure they weren't followed, they snuck in and carefully sealed the door. What had happened afterwards was mostly a blur. Kaito blushed involuntarily as he recalled the few fragments of the previous night that he could remember. A slight shifting of a weight on his arm drew his attention. The blush turned a shade darker as he saw Emi using it as a pillow, the small ray of light clearly disturbing her slumber. He let his eyes take in the entire scene, Emi sleeping on his arm, both of them naked, a thin blanket they'd found the night before being the only thing that shielded them from the morning cold. He removed his bandages as he'd been instructed by Kago Taichō. His eyes widened slightly in amazement when he saw the marks on his chest. The wounds had healed, a slight discoloration being the only thing that remained of the vicious gashes across his chest.

"Well, she's the fourth division's taichō for something", Emi suddenly said, her eyes still closed.

"I admit, she does one heck of a job", Kaito admitted, trying to remain calm, even though Emi had startled him a bit. It was incredibly difficult to remain calm with her slowly crawling closer to him again, especially when they were both naked.

Slowly, Emi started caressing his chest as she looked into his eyes. He felt his restraint cave in completely as she kissed him.

"Kaito, Emi, are you up yet?", a cheery voice outside the door suddenly yelled.

Startled, the couple scrambled into their clothes and they'd just finished dressing when Miharu burst into the room in her usual manner, which consisted of almost jumping all over the place while yelling and laughing happily, followed by a much less enthusiastic Midorikawa.

"Let's hurry, the headmaster of the academy is going to give a speech in the central courtyard, it's almost going to begin. I wanted to come wake you a bit earlier, but Ryouji here stopped me, I still don't know why", Miharu said, almost mixing up her words in the process because she tried to speak too fast.

"I used a bakudō spell", Midorikawa answered when he noticed both Kaito's and Emi's questioning look.

"Yeah, you meanie", Miharu yelled as she tried to kick him in the shins, only to be treated to another lower level bakudō spell.

While Miharu was temporarily distracted by the glowing rope around her, Kaito quickly mouthed a thank you to the kidō master, receiving a small nod in response.

"Hey Ryouji, what did you do with this rope thingy, I can't get it off", Miharu yelled as she pulled at the rope, still not managing to break free from its grasp.

"I'll release you when you've calmed down a bit Miharu, until then it'll restrict your movements", Midorikawa said in response, ignoring the irritated look on his friend's face.

"Could you help me out Kaito-kun?", he asked as he pointed at the struggeling Miharu, "we still need to get her to the assembly as well".

Kaito grinned in response as he grabbed Miharu by the scruff of her neck and swung her over his shoulder like some ragged old bag.

"It seems the last of the students have finally arrived headmaster", Nakajima said as he watched the group of students walk into the courtyard. He sighed a bit as he witnessed Tanaka Miharu's position, though he had to admit it was a bit of a comical sight with her being swung over Kaito's shoulder like that, and at least she finally remained in one place for more than half a second.

"So it seems", the headmaster said as he amusedly watched the group make their way to the rest of their class, seemingly oblivious to the strange looks they were receiving from the rest of the students.

Everyone's attention was soon drawn forward though, when the headmaster of the academy made his way to the front of the small platform that had been placed near the teacher's quarters. Everyone quieted down immediately when he raised his hand, Miharu being the only one to make any noise at all as she tried to bite through the rope and kick Midorikawa in the shins at the same time.

"We've all suffered a great loss", the headmaster began, the sound of his voice resonating against the walls of the courtyard, "we've all lost people dear to us, friends, sometimes even family. But we were victorious, together with the help of the people behind me".

The headmaster pointed to the taichō and their men standing behind him.

"We currently don't know who was responsible for the attack, but rest assured that we will find them and destroy them utterly. The Onmitsukidō is currently investigating the attack and the moment they come up with the identities of those responsible, we will strike with full force. This attack was a direct declaration of war against us and we will respond in kind. With this in mind, I would like all of you to dedicate yourselves fully to your training so that we may be prepared for the next battle, and this is especially important for the students of our last year whose final exam is coming up. We will need all of you to graduate and join the ranks of the Gotei 13 as support as soon as possible, we cannot afford to spare even one person amongst our forces in the times to come. Please, do your utmost best, so we can defeat any enemy that comes in our path".

The assembled crowd of students burst out into a deafening roar when the headmaster finished his speech. A satisfied smile played over his face as he watched the students in front of him. He had changed their sadness and anger into courage and strength of will, they'd be prepared now. Meanwhile, several of the taichō and their subordinates looked out over the crowd in search of students of the last year that would be valuable additions to their squads. Most of their gazes eventually remained locked on the students that had been responsible for taking out the cannon, with most of the gazes coming to a rest over Kaito and Emi, the only two students in the academy capable of releasing their zanpakutō, and with it, incredible power.

"I see you're interested in Kaito-kun as well Naoki-san", Shinji grinned at his fellow taichō when he saw the smile play across Naoki's face.

"I don't care about him being in the eleventh, my wife would probably snatch him to her division anyway. I just want to fight him".

"Don't you always".

"It's too bad that they get to request their own transfers, and with Shimizu-san around, he'll probably have something in store for those two, knowing that they're in a relationship".

"That's true, and it won't be easy for them to overcome that challenge", Shinji agreed. It would be hell to overcome Shimizu Yuuji's challenges, knowing the standards he kept. His fukutaichō was someone that had been reported to being close to achieving bankai, he'd already been able to materialise his zanpakutō's spirit at will. The rest of his squad was also highly skilled. He requested nothing less than the very best of both his squad and himself, resulting in one of the most powerful squads in the Gotei 13. In terms of combat effectiveness, even Naoki's eleventh division was only just ahead of the ninth, the only reason for that being their brute strength and love for fighting.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The day after the headmaster's speech and the ceremony held for all of the fallen students and shinigami, repairs were started on the buildings that had been destroyed during the attack, most notably the dormitories which had been almost completely demolished. In order to give the students a proper roof over their heads, the fourth division had set up a large number of tents for the students, though some had found their own personal spots to spend the night. Kaito and Emi had been returning to the attic in the main building every night while Midorikawa and the ever happy Miharu had built themselves a small shack in one of the small woods near a training area. Midorikawa had refused to return to one of the more important buildings in fear of another attack.

Over the next few weeks, the repair crews had made remarkable progress, with a number of sections of the dorms having been repaired, while practically all of the injured students had left the fourth division headquarters which also served as the main hospital for the Gotei 13. Much to the headmaster's joy, both the students fresh out of the hospital and those that had not been injured in the attack had started training diligently, transforming hate and anger into dedication for their training, sometimes with stunning results. In the time span of almost a month, several members of the graduating classes learned how to release their zanpakutō, their teachers smiling broadly as they witnessed the progress of their students. Encouraged by these developments, several other students also started focussing on releasing their swords, thus creating quite the annoyance for both Kaito and Emi. They were the first two to release their swords, and were thus considered to be the prime source for special advice about the subject. Thankfully, Nakajima came to their rescue by setting up special classes for those he considered ready to start learning about the subject, thus diverting the attention away from the now already famous couple.

"I still haven't gotten the chance to thank Nakajima-sensei for taking those students off of our backs", Emi sighed as she and her boyfriend walked into the attic, which they had decorated with some personal touches, transforming it from a dry, dusty and bare room into a cosy bedroom. They'd managed to make off with a pair of futons and several other uniforms for a change of clothes. Miharu had somehow managed to scrounge up some curtains somewhere which were now hanging in front of the two windows on either side of the room. Emi suspected she'd just yanked them out of some building, but she couldn't care less. Furthermore they'd found a closet in a corner of the attic, which was now serving its true purpose instead of being stashed away. Emi had also brought along several small wall carpets which now gave some colour to the otherwise dusty brown room. Several other small things had been added to the room, some gifts, other things that had been found lying around here and there. In total, they'd transformed the entire room, suiting their needs. Emi doubted that Kaito and herself would ever move to the dorms again, even if they were repaired before the end of the year.

"We'll get plenty of chances to thank him after the exam Emi", Kaito replied as he slipped out of his uniform and into some more comfortable clothes. Emi blushed slightly as she watched him change in front of him. She still wasn't quite used to seeing him like that. They'd grown a lot closer the last few weeks and things were speeding up a bit, even to the point that outsiders were starting to notice the changes. Miharu and Saruwatari had even commented that they looked more like a married couple than anything else, earning them a small scowl from both Emi and Kaito, though Emi had seemed a bit more irritated by that notion.

Having spent the day training on their own, they'd retreated to their room in order to rest and to make final preparations for the exam. As they were sitting on the couch they'd dug up from under a pile of random junk, they talked about the exam which had been scheduled for the next day. They'd been given the liberty to train on their own, just as all of the other students that preferred to do so. They had been told to pair up with someone that complemented their abilities for the final exam, the reason why had not been divulged though, making some of the students wonder about the contents.

After having talked through several of their tactics and attacks, they both went to sleep, the rest of the academy following their example, the guards and some of the teachers being the only exception.

Nakajima frowned a bit as he gazed over the students in front of him. He hadn't really gotten that much sleep the night before, courtesy of some of his fellow teachers that had insisted that they go over the different student pairs again in order to finalise the matchups.

"They must've done it on purpose", he grumbled quietly, making sure that none of his students were able to hear it. The sight of them, each and every single one well rested, sparking a slight hint of envy in the back of his mind. He sighed.

"Right", he shouted, forcing the faint fog that was hanging over his brain away, "you all know why you're here. This is it, your final exam. Normally, this would be a simple test of skill, the same as the ones you're used to, but due to the attack, we realised that we focussed too much on those tests. Therefore, we've decided to enlist the help of some members of the Gotei 13. You were told to pair up with someone else which complemented your abilities, this was to give you a fighting chance against someone of a much larger calibre than yourself".

Upon hearing this revelation, a shock ran through the students.

"Does that mean we'll be fighting someone from the Gotei 13 sensei?", Sakamoto asked, voicing the thoughts of everyone else in the group.

"That's exactly what this exam is all about", Nakajima confirmed, a slight look of terror now forming on the face of some of the students, "you were allowed to pair up with someone else for this very reason. When you're in the field, you'll often be faced with enemies that are more powerful than you. This exam forces you to work together with someone else in order to bring out the maximum in yourself and to take on enemies that are much stronger than yourself through teamwork. I don't expect you to defeat your opponent though, considering the fact that we've been assigned some members of the eleventh division as our opponents. What I'm going to base my judgement on, are your teamwork, technique, analytical skill and several other factors. Whether you win or lose, you always have a chance to pass, or a chance to fail".

"We have opponents of different strengths, to compensate for the difference in strength between some groups", Nakajima continued, looking meaningfully to the group of prodigies which were standing a bit to the right, "now, without further ado, I suggest we begin".

The words had barely left Nakajima's lips when several members of the eleventh division suddenly appeared in a half circle around the students.

"So these are the guys we're supposed to test eh?", a man with several scars lining his face laughed, "these kids look as if they're barely out of grade school, especially the little girl there".

He pointed at Miharu, a grin smeared across his face. The only response he got was an equally sadistic grin from both Miharu and Midorikawa. Nakajima quickly wrote down his first pairing, a small smile on his face. He couldn't let those eleventh division brutes take all the honour.

Suddenly a man stepped up in front of "scarface", his hands in his pockets. He pointed at Kaito and Emi and then looked at their teacher.

"I want to fight those two if that's all right with you", the man said, "they've got quite a reputation back in the base. Apparently my taichō is quite interested in them, thus, it also interests myself a great deal".

"As you wish, you can fight them. Just don't underestimate them please", Nakajima said as he calmly wrote the man's name next to Kaito and Emi's.

"Congratulations, you are now officially screwed", Sakamoto whispered in Kaito's ear.

"Why is that?"

"That's Naoki Taichō's right hand man Kaito", Emi whispered as well, "Ishimaru Akito Fukutaichō, considered to be one of the strongest people in the Gotei 13, the taichō excluded of course".

Kaito watched his girlfriend swallow visible as she took another good look at the man. His cold blue eyes threw an icy stare at anyone courageous enough to look at him. His arms were folded in front of his chest. His long loose hair waving in the faint breeze.

"He doesn't look that strong you know", Miharu said.

"That's because he's hiding his true power. If he were to put his reiatsu at full blast, everyone here besides our little group here would faint. Don't ever judge someone's strength on physical appearance alone".

Apparently, the man held an iron grip over his men. None of the other people from the eleventh standing in front of them even dared to stray from their positions, the massive claymore swung over his back only enforcing that grip.

"What's with the sword?", Kaito asked Sakamoto, curious as to what it was.

"His sword is known to be a constant release type sword. It's constantly in shikai form, simply because the combination of his massive power and relative lack of control over it prevents him from sealing it back up. It's either that, or he's too lazy to seal it again".

"Great, more things to worry about", Emi scowled, she wasn't looking forward to another high level battle.

She continued to eye the man warily while Nakajima formed the different match-ups, trying to gain as much information as she could. Even though she was paired up with Kaito, who could be considered her ideal partner in just about anything, she was still worried. The fact that she couldn't estimate his power worried her even further.

"First match", Nakajima suddenly shouted, pulling Emi out of her concentration. She'd been so focussed on their opponent that she'd failed to notice that Nakajima had formed all of the groups and was now ready to begin judging his students.

"Saruwatari and Akimoto, you're up, your opponent is eleventh seat Shigehito-san", he announced, pointing towards the sparring ring.

"Right off the bat eh", Akimoto grinned as he slowly walked towards the ring. Saruwatari following him closely, both of them ignoring the glares shot at them by the other eleventh division men present.

"Try not to get yourselves killed alright?", Shigehito sneered as he slowly drew his sword.

"Try to keep us entertained would you", Saruwatari shot back, causing the man's face to distort with anger.

Yelling a battle cry, the eleventh seat stormed forward, swinging violently with his sword as he approached.

"It's his loss", Kaito said softly, the rest of his friends nodding in agreement.

The loud clang of two swords hitting each other reverberated through the sparring area as the fighters were momentarily hidden by a small cloud of dust thrown up by the clash. Many of the onlookers squinted their eyes as the dust cleared, eager to pick up a trace of the combatants. What they saw surprised a lot of people, most of them from the eleventh division. The eleventh seat's sword had been expertly stopped by Akimoto, who'd only revealed a few centimetres of his sword as he had pulled it partially out of the sheath while Saruwatari was perched on the man's shoulder, her blade hovering less than a millimetre from the man's neck.

"How the hell", Shigehito cursed as he first looked at his throat, then at the opponent that had stopped his blade.

"Mistake number one, you volunteered to take us on", Akimoto said calmly as he pulled back his sword, "mistake number two, you let Saruwatari's retort anger you, dulling your skill. Mistake number three, you overestimated your own skill and underestimated ours".

Shigehito growled in anger, ready to unleash a massive barrage of curses and insults, but was cut short by a short glare coming from his fukutaichō, almost turning his blood to ice.

Defeated, he slowly left the sparring area, vowing revenge.

"Well now, that was a surprise", Nakajima said happily as he scribbled down the results of his two students, trying to act as surprised as possible in the process. It worked on everyone besides his students, which was exactly the point.

"Nice job Akimoto, Saruwatari", Kaito nodded as his two friends walked to their place.

"Ah, wasn't that hard", Akimoto grinned sheepishly, "the guy was only an eleventh seat. No challenge at all".

"Watch your tongue Momiji", Saruwatari quickly whispered to him when she saw the irritated looks on some of the other shinigami's faces, "some of these guys are a lot stronger than that guy".

"Next pair, Anzai and Oota, you're on", Nakajima continued with the exam.

As he'd suspected, most of his students were no match for their opponents, even if it was two to one. The only exceptions to this were, as expected, the members of his "prodigies" as he liked to call them. Both Akimoto and Saruwatari, Sakamoto and his partner, Miharu and Midorikawa had all won their matches against their opponents. With the Miharu/Midorikawa fight adding the comical note to the exam. Apparently their opponent hadn't expected Midorikawa to be so skilled with kidō. He made the mistake of focussing his attacks on Miharu, which seemed to be the easiest target. Either that or because she had stuck her tongue out at their opponent. This was a bad idea because of two reasons, first of all, it let Midorikawa prepare a high level kidō spell without all too much distractions, secondly it angered him to see someone attack his childhood friend like that. The look on the man's face had been priceless when Miharu calmly tapped him on the shoulder right after she'd used shunpō to get behind him. He'd visibly paled when he had looked to where she was pointing. Straight at Midorikawa, who had been calmly holding a level eighties kidō blast in his hand, his foot tapping impatiently onto the earth. The poor sixth seat had given up at that moment.

"Last team, Fujiwara and Shimizu, your turn", Nakajima finally called the last team to take the exam. Their opponent had already walked towards the sparring ring. His icy gaze following them as they walked towards him.

"Before we begin, I suggest that everyone else here moves towards one of the spectator shelters", he told Nakajima as he slowly unhooked his sword from his back.

"And I suggest that the two of you release your zanpakutō right away", he continued, pointing at the two students standing in front of him, "Do it now or you might die".

While saying this, the man released a wave of reiatsu, visibly causing small distortions in the air to form as his sheer power coursed through the environment. Not wanting to underestimate their opponent, Kaito directed Emi to move away a bit as he released his zanpakutō, he still couldn't really control the lighting that came down during the release, though he had managed to decrease the radius significantly.

"Scorch the heavens, slash the sky! Hyakuenrai", Kaito shouted as he planted his sword into the earth, revealing its true form to his friends, besides Emi, for the first time. Meanwhile, Emi had also drawn her sword, ready to release it.

"The water that quenches our thirst, is the water that drowns us. The ice that cools us, is the ice that freezes us. Ayame.", Emi shouted as the threw her sword up into the air, the spin given to it by the throw accelerating the transformation into the twin tipped spear, causing the temperature to drop several degrees in an instant. Water started flowing out of the tips of the staff, parts of it freezing instantly, forming beautiful ice crystals that encompassed her entire body. The light emanating from Kaito's zanpakutō refracted in the crystals, casting an ethereal glow over the training area.

"Hmmm, interesting", Akito nodded as he watched his opponents carefully. He was fully aware of their reputation and reported strength. Unlike his subordinates, he never underestimated his opponents.

"A lightning and wind elemental combined with a water and ice elemental. This ought to be fun", he grinned.

"Come on, show me what you got", he yelled out, trying to raise his voice above the terrible noise that was coming from the two zanpakutō's opposing him.

Balancing carefully on the edge between control and utter fighting craze, Akito dashed forward, bringing his sword up overhead, the downward slash tearing up the earth in a massive fissure that raced towards the student pair. Jumping out of the way, Emi launched a counterattack, whipping up a wave of water directed at Akito's face, only to have the wall of water split in two by another slash of Akito's sword, causing water to spill everywhere, thoroughly drenching the fukutaichō.

"Is that it?", he shouted, brandishing his sword again, "is that all you've got?".

"Not at all", Kaito grinned over Akito's shoulder.

"What the? How did he get there?"

"You said you never underestimate your opponents, perhaps not, but you didn't anticipate our attacks. Have you never heard that water conducts electricity extremely well?", Kaito continued, a massive strike building up in his sword as he gathered as much lightning he could into his sword.

"Shit", Akito managed to bring out, moments before he was engulfed in the massive flash that erupted from Kaito's sword, blinding almost everyone in the area.

Having used shunpō the moment the flash had come down, Kaito landed softly besides Emi, still keeping a wary eye on the location of their opponent.

"Yow that hurt", a voice said as the smoke started to clear.

"As I thought", Kaito growled, "that guy is virtually unharmed. I knew something was wrong the second I moved away from him".

"I'll give you guys an A for trying", Akito said. Half of his clothes had been burned away and several spots on his body were still singing a bit from the intense heat, but in general, he was fine.

"Even so, if you were planning on defeating me, you'll have to try a lot harder than that I'm afraid", he grinned.

"Emi, if that guy hits us even once, we're done for".

"Got it", Emi nodded, understanding what Kaito had meant in a flash. Thrusting her staff into the air, summoning a large amount of water, sending it straight into the air.

"Perfect", Kaito grinned as he saw the artificial rain fall. Using his sword, he caused several violent gusts of wind to rip through the rain, cutting the individual drops into minuscule particles and keeping them suspended in the air. The result was a thick fog that enveloped the combatants.

"Hmmm, interesting tactic", Akito nodded in approval, "so you've noticed the fact that you can't even take a single hit from me without getting hurt, and to make this easier, you've put up a smokescreen to hide yourself in, very good. But how are you going to attack me now, the fact that I can't see you and that you've hidden your power doesn't mean that you can see me, or that you can sense me when I hide my power myself".

"I don't need to see you or feel your reiatsu to know where you are Ishimaru-san. As you've noticed already, my sword is a lightning and wind elemental. The fact that I use both these elements also means that my perception of them is heightened. To the point where I can feel your movements through the shifting of the air and the electrical signals caused by your nerves. I know exactly where you are and what you are doing, not to mention the fact that this entire area is perfect for conducting electricity".

To prove this, Kaito launched another bolt of lightning directly at the fukutaichō, resulting is a satisfying sound of sizzling clothes and flesh.

"I see", Akito said as he looked through the hole the lightning had burned through his sleeve. He'd been able to dodge most of the blast, though the wounds he received from the bit that hit still hurt like hell.

"Not to mention that this entire area is Emi's playground now. Remember, she controls ice".

As Kaito said this, Akito began to notice a sudden drop in temperature as ice suddenly started to form on his sword. He'd have to get out of this death trap soon. Too bad, he had wanted to play with the youngsters a bit more. It was about time he got serious.

He planted his sword into the earth, releasing all of his reiatsu in a single powerful blast. The resulting shockwave blew away the artificial fog, leaving only a startled Kaito and Emi in its wake. They were sweating visibly from the immense pressure directed towards them as the fukutaichō calmly walked towards them, his sword swung lazily over his shoulder.

"We give up", Kaito swallowed as he saw the man getting closer. He had noticed Emi gripping his hand the moment he'd felt the surge of power race through the earth. Sensing that they were powerless to stop the juggernaut, he did the only thing he could. End the battle before any injuries on their side occurred.

"A very wise decision", the man said, allowing his power to come down to a more normal level again, "though I must commend you to make me reveal my full power to you. Do know that few people have ever seen me like this, and lived to tell the tale". Somehow Kaito didn't have any difficulty believing the man. He was a monster, even more so than Kaito himself.

"All right, that's enough for today", Nakajima said as he scribbled down his remarks on his tablet, "to my students, you've performed exceedingly well today, I'm proud of you. To the members of the eleventh division, I thank you for assisting us with the exam".

"It was our pleasure Nakajima-sensei", Akito shook the teacher's hand, "we'd gladly do it again".

Waving his hand as a signal to his men, Akito left the academy, quickly vanishing out of sight, his men following him closely in a tight formation.

"The results of the exam will be announced tomorrow in the main assembly area at ten in the morning. Don't be late, "Nakajima said as he too left the training area, leaving his students to spend the rest of the day as they wished.

"Why did you give up Kaito-kun?", Oota, one of the two girls that had to fight right after Saruwatari and Akimoto, asked, "I thought you were a lot stronger that that".

Kaito sighed, he knew both Oota and Anzai were part of his fan club. He praised himself lucky that they weren't part of the fanatical core group who always seemed to try and watch his every move. Even so, it could be a bit annoying to have them around at times, mostly because the questions they asked always had an obvious answer.

"It's because he was more powerful than the powers of Emi and myself combined. He didn't become a fukutaichō by just waving around a big sword you know. There's no way we could have won that battle", Kaito answered dryly.

"I see", the girl replied sullenly, the fact that Kaito had actually lost a fight had shattered her vision of the invincible student that he was. Saddened a bit, she ran off towards her fellow fangirl.

"I wish I had such a large and dedicated fanbase as you have Kaito-kun", Sakamoto grinned.

"Trust me, I'd hand them over to you the moment I'd get the chance", Kaito sighed again, though the sullen look on his face lifted quickly when he felt Emi snuggle up against his arm.

"We'll see you guys later", Emi quickly said, preventing anyone from asking them to hang out for the evening.

"Same here", Saruwatari said as well, mimicking Emi as she threw her arm around Akimoto's waist.

"Hey, I thought you guys would be more surprised", Akimoto complained when he saw no change on his friends faces.

"Please, anyone that didn't notice that something was going on between you two is either blind or is incredibly dense", Kaito grinned, much to Akimoto's chagrin.

"Ooohh, congratulations you two", Miharu jumped around the couple, Midorikawa holding his hand against his forehead as he sighed. His friend was as clueless as ever.

"Or you need to be called Miharu, that's also a possibility", Kaito continued, earning him a scowling look of Miharu as the girl finally picked up on the cue.

"So, what did you think of him? Was I right or was I right?", a man hunched on one of the nearby rooftops asked another figure sitting right next to him as they watched the group split up, each pair heading in a different direction.

"You were absolutely right taichō-san", Akito said to his superior officer, Fukuda Naoki.

"He was much more than I expected him to be, the Shimizu heir as well. Not to mention the fact that they work together exceedingly well".

"I just hope he chooses to join the eleventh division", Naoki said to himself. He was eagerly anticipating a match with the man that could force his second in command to go all out, "it's too bad that they can choose which division they pick".

"So, what do you have in mind for me tonight", Kaito asked as he let Emi take the lead.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough", Emi smiled playfully as she pulled him into their room, tightly locking the door behind them.

"I will now announce the results of the final exam", the headmaster began as he took a scroll out of a box standing beside him.

Kaito, Emi and the rest had made it to the assembly area with time to spare, unlike some other students that had apparently decided to spend their possibly last evening as students drinking as if there was no tomorrow. Kaito spotted several people who were obviously suffering from a severe case of hangover. Noting the broad smile on Sakamoto's face, he deducted that the notorious brewer was responsible for most of the damage.

"Next, Fujiwara Kaito, come forward", the headmaster announced. Hearing his name, Kaito approached his destiny.


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Rant:**

First of all, I want to apologise for the long wait. I realise that some of you might have been waiting for this chapter to appear, or that you might have thought that I had dropped the story. But don't worry, I won't be dropping the story, I just had a bit of an inspirational block. That and I've been busy with a load of other stuff, ranging from retaking exams, driving lessons, girlfriend related stuff and reading other fanfics to become a better writer myself.  
You might notice that I've tried to describe situations more than usual. This was a deliberate choice, I realise that my previous chapters were lacking in that departement so I'll be trying to fix that problem.  
I am constantly trying to improve my writing skills in order to provide you with the best I can. Thankfully, I'm feeling completely refreshed and ready to tackle the next arc in the story, so this time, you probably won't have to wait for almost a month for the new chapter.

Oh, and if you can, please review the story to help improve my writing (and to get more people to read it )

Enjoy

**Chapter 12**

The headmaster held out his hand, his fingers curled slightly around the scroll that held Kaito's results.

"Congratulations Fujiwara-san", the headmaster congratulated him as he was given the scroll, "you've passed with flying colours. The entire teacher corps is proud of you. We all wish you the best of luck with your career in the Gotei 13".

Kaito bowed, thanking the headmaster before returning to his friends.

"Oi Kaito, could you wipe that smirk off of your face please? It's not like you didn't know what you would get for a score", Akimoto grinned as he twirled his own scroll around with his fingers.

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking I should reassure you that at least one of us had passed Akimoto", Kaito replied dryly, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in his retort.

His comment caused quite a few grins to appear on the faces of the small group of now ex-students. They'd all passed, no surprises there, but they were surprised to hear that almost every single student of the final year had passed. In total there were only a handful of people that had flunked the course.

"So, who of you has decided what squad to join?", Saruwatari asked, curious as to where her friends would go. She knew that Akimoto would probably follow her to wherever she went, so she didn't worry about him.

"Not really", the response came in unison, the excuses ranging from a simple "I don't know yet" to a downright lame excuse of "not having been able to contact the division of choice".

"So, where are you going to Kaito-kun, Emi-chan?", she asked when she noticed neither of them had answered yet.

"First of all we're going to talk with my father", Emi replied, "he wanted to see us. After that, we'll probably go visit Yoshikune Taichō. He asked us to come by once we had finished our training here".

"Where are you and Akimoto headed", Kaito asked, curious as to where the other couple were going.

"We're probably going to join the third division, under Yamamura Taichō", Akimoto replied, "which means we'll probably won't be seeing you that often anymore since I'm expecting you'll join either the fifth, the ninth or the eleventh".

"I am not joining the eleventh", Kaito said, an annoyed look on his face, "those guys would be constantly picking fights with me, which I don't really like at all".

"Fair enough", Akimoto nodded in agreement as he recalled the events of the exam.

"Well then, I'm off to catch up some sleep before I go visit a random division headquarters", Sakamoto said as he slowly stumbled away.

With nothing better to do, the rest of the students soon followed his example and left the grounds, walking towards the headquarters of the division of their choice.

Kaito however was led on a different path altogether as Emi pulled him towards their attic. After having changed into their official shinigami attire, picking up their valuables and saying a mental goodbye to their makeshift home, they walked towards the academy entrance.

"This is it", Emi said as they reached the gate, "the moment we step through this gate, we're full shinigami".

Her voice was trembling a bit, Kaito fully understood. It had been a goal she'd been striving for all this time, to please her family, her father in particular, a goal she'd accomplished in a spectacular fashion.

Emi tensed a bit as she felt Kaito's hand wrap around hers, but she quickly relaxed as he gave her hand a little squeeze, reassuring her.

"Come on", he nudged, as he slowly pulled her forward.

"I made it", she thought by herself as they stepped through the gate.

"Or rather", she looked at Kaito who was still holding her hand as he looked forward, "We made it".

"Ermm, Kaito, could I ask something of you?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I was wondering if you would like to come to my house before we go and report to a division headquarters, my father asked us remember?"

She'd suddenly remembered her father's request and had decided it best not to let him wait. It was something that had to be done, no matter how nervous it made her, after all, her father still hadn't approved of her relationship with Kaito, which was probably going to be the topic of discussion. Not that she had much to worry about though, Kaito had graduated with the highest scores overall, and her father was one that would look at skill above all else.

"So, do you want to come? He asked for you to be there as well remember?"

"Sure, it's a good opportunity to get to know him for future reference", he winked, the comment causing a faint blush to appear on her face.

They discussed a myriad of topics as they walked towards the Shimizu estate, which was located quite far away from the academy. As they walked, Kaito noticed a significant change in the environment and the surrounding buildings. Instead of small buildings and side streets, they started passing larger buildings until they finally reached a small castle, a 10 foot wall surrounding the estate. He swallowed as he took in the size of it, in a rough estimate, he figured that there would be around two to three hundred rooms in there, and that was a careful estimate.

"Well, here it is", Emi said as they reached a gate, flanked by two guards, each clad in a standard shinigami outfit complemented by a special white coat. That, and the weapon they carried, a long staff which split in two near the end to form a U, used to capture possible intruders, indicated their status in the family as a member of the personal guard of the family. As they approached the gate, the two guards instantly recognised Emi and snapped to attention as they shouted a welcome.

"Hello Jin, Ebisu, it's been a long time. Good to see you two again", Emi replied as she waved her hand, signalling the guards that they could relax.

"A long time it has been, please, feel free to pass", Ebisu, the older one of the two replied as he pulled a lever hidden in the wall, "but who is the one accompanying you if I may ask?"

"This is Fujiwara Kaito, a classmate of mine, and my boyfriend", Emi smiled as she saw the impact of her words on the two guards.

Jun, the younger one of the two, tried to suppress a grin, but wasn't really that successful in doing it, while Ebisu simply raised an eyebrow.

"In that case, Kaito-sama, please feel free to enter as well. Welcome to the Shimizu estate", the man quickly added as the oaken gates started to open, revealing a wonderful garden surrounding the main building.

Nodding their thanks, the couple quickly entered.

"So, what do you think?", Emi asked as the gate slowly closed behind them.

Kaito couldn't respond. He felt as if he'd walked into the premise of a shogun's castle. Everything he saw looked exactly as the buildings and gardens he'd seen in several anime series while he was still alive. They found themselves on a long straight path towards the main building, several smaller paths branching off along the way, leading deeper into the lush garden. There were several flowerbeds strewn across the garden, well maintained patches of grass surrounding them and several trees and the accompanying bushes. A large pond was to their right, a glitter in the water telling him that there were fish swimming around.

"Must be koi, judging from the rest of this place", he thought by himself as he continued to take in the surroundings.

"It's pretty big, I know", Emi grinned as she pulled him forward by his hand, they hadn't let go since the academy gate.

"But I think the estates of some of the more established noble families are about two to three times larger than ours", she added.

"EH, even larger?", Kaito breathed. He had trouble taking in the size of this building, he couldn't even begin to imagine how something three times larger would look.

He took a closer look at the building, the closer they got, the more imposing it became. It was built the same style as practically every building in Seireitei, and thus was a perfect example of classic Japanese architecture.

As they made their way towards the estate, they were greeted by several more guards, gardeners and servants, each of which received a smile and a greeting in return.

"Shimizu heiress, Shimizu Emi, has returned", one of the guards shouted as they walked into the building.

Emi felt Kaito's grip on her hand tighten a bit, he was clearly not used to being inside a noble's estate. She figured he would have to learn some etiquette for future meetings with other nobles. For now though, it would do, her father wasn't one to be too formal around guests.

"Ah, Emi", she heard her father say as he walked into the central hallway. "I've been expecting you, and you as well Fujiwara-san", he nodded to Kaito, "please, follow me, we have much to discuss".

Bowing in acknowledgement, Kaito quickly followed Emi and her father as they walked deeper into the building.

The manor seemed to be even bigger on the inside than he'd been able to see on the outside. He eventually lost his orientation as they kept on walking through hallways, taking a turn every now and then until they eventually reached a large room. The only furniture was a small table with several pillows lined on each side. It was clear that the room's only purpose was to hold discussions in.

"Please, Fujiwara-san, Emi, take a seat", Yuuji said as he sat down on one side of the table, indicating for them to sit on the opposite side.

"I understand that the two of you are involved in a romantic relationship", he continued as the couple sat down.

Nodding in acknowledgement, Emi eyed her father. She'd suspected it would be about something like this and she'd been worried that he might not approve of her relationship with Kaito.

"This however brings along some minor difficulties", he continued, "for you see, I had planned on betrothing you to a member of one of the other noble families, the Hayashi family to be precise, whose heir, Hayashi Toru, is also my fukutaichō".

Hearing her father explain, Emi visibly paled, despair appearing in her eyes as she first looked at Kaito and then at her father.

Kaito too had stiffened when he heard the words. He'd known about arranged marriages, but never had he thought that he'd be faced with one, but now that he was, he'd be fighting it every step of the way he promised himself.

Noticing the tension rise in the couple before him, Yuuji quickly raised his hand, attempting to ease them a bit as he indicated that he hadn't finished yet.

"I had planned that, but who am I to decide my daughter's fate", Yuuji said, smiling a bit as he watched the youngsters visibly relax.

"I will approve of your relationship, but only under strict conditions. First of all, Fujiwara-san, you will start living together with Emi, starting today. Second, you will pledge your loyalty to Emi and solemnly swear not to betray either her or the Shimizu family, which means that you will marry her within the year. And third, neither of you will join the ninth division, it might develop conflicts between you and my fukutaichō, and I'd hate to see the fiancée of my daughter to be crushed under his recently achieved bankai".

Yuuji smiled, he'd seen his daughter and her companion brighten with every word he spoke until Emi had thrown herself into Kaito's arms, the force of which, combined with the surprise of the sudden glomp causing him to topple backwards onto the tatami mat.

Silent, he watched the couple laugh, tears of joy causing Emi's eyes to glisten in the now fading light.

"Thank you very much for giving me permission to marry your daughter Shimizu-sama", Kaito bowed when he'd finally been able to get back up after Emi had calmed down a bit.

"Please, call me Yuuji, we're practically family now, no need to be too formal here", Yuuji smiled at the man in front of him, "but just to be curious, what excuses did you have to defend your relationship, or what actions would you have taken?"

He looked at Kaito and Emi questioningly, wondering what kind of answers he would get.

"I would have challenged your fukutaichō to a fight I guess", Kaito shrugged.

"I figured as much, well, you may get your chance in the future. What about you Emi?"

"Well, it's sort of an excuse, though it's also a fact", Emi said. She was clearly nervous as she kept on fiddling with her sash.

"It's just that, father, I'm carrying Kaito's child".

Had someone walked into the room on that exact moment, they would've been able to hear a pin drop, until Yuuji suddenly started coughing as his tea tried to slip into his windpipe.

"You're WHAT?", the two fathers yelled at the same time, followed by them throwing each other questioning looks.

"Since when do you know?", Kaito asked Emi as his mind slowly started processing the information.

"I only found out yesterday, but I didn't have the chance to tell you yet", she explained.

They were interrupted by Yuuji, a subtle cough drawing their attention.

"In that case, you will marry within two weeks", Yuuji said as he shot them a serious look, "and next time please be more careful alright?".

Kaito and Emi only nodded, not wanting to provoke a taichō class shinigami who'd just received word that his only daughter was pregnant from someone that wasn't even married to her.

Yuuji sighed, no matter how he felt, he couldn't be mad, after all, his daughter had found someone to love. They'd just gone a little farther than he'd thought.

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about having someone to continue the family line", he grinned at the couple in front of him, "This calls for a celebration. Fujiwara Kaito, I hereby welcome you into the Shimizu clan".

After having left the room, Yuuji quickly summoned a couple of servants and gave them orders to prepare for a celebration. One which lasted to well into the night.

"How are you feeling?", Kaito asked his newly announced fiancée when he felt her stir. They'd retreated to Emi's room after celebrating until well after midnight. He'd woken up before her, as was the usual situation, and had been looking at her until now. She'd nestled herself firmly against his chest while they'd slept, again as usual. Apparently she found either his chest or arm to be a more comfortable pillow than an actual pillow. Not that he really minded, except for the fact that her lying on his arm usually also cut off the supply of blood, causing an annoying numbness in the limb in question.

"I'm fine", her answer came as a whisper. They hadn't been drinking any alcohol so they didn't have a hangover. Something Kaito thanked the gods for. He'd hate having a headache when faced with his fiancée lying in his arms, the light of the morning sun almost giving her a surreal glow as it fell through the open window. Fiancée, he still had some difficulty in fully realising that it was actually happening. He had no doubt that he'd marry her eventually, just not this fast, not to mention her being pregnant. The combination of all the facts almost made his mind overload as he thought about it.

"How are you feeling, my soon to be husband and father?", she smiled, returning the question at him. Apparently she too was still getting used to the idea.

"Couldn't be better dear", he grinned back. They'd been teased by both the personnel and the rest of Emi's family the whole evening and had found that they also started slipping into a different vocabulary every now and then.

A discreet knock on the door shook them from their thoughts though as one of the servants announced that the breakfast had been served. Deciding that they might as well get up now, they quickly got dressed and moved into the dining room. The teasing continued, though on a smaller scale than the night before. Most of it came from Emi's mother who had been winking at the couple almost continuously.

"So what do you think?", Emi's mother asked her husband as they watched their daughter and her fiancée walk towards the gate. They'd excused themselves after the breakfast, explaining that they still had to meet with Yoshikune Taichō.

"They'll be fine darling. Emi is a strong woman, and she's found someone that's even stronger to protect her. Honestly, that kid almost scares me with his potential".

"I'm sure he does".

"We're here to see Yoshikune Taichō", Emi said to the guard standing at the gate of the fifth division headquarters.

"And you are?"

"Shimizu Emi and Fujiwara Kaito".

"Ah, right, I was told you'd be paying us a visit, follow me please", the guard nodded before leading them into the complex.

"So, are you going to join the fifth?", the guard asked as they walked through the corridors.

"Probably, it depends on what Yoshikune Taichō has to say to us", Kaito said.

"Hehehe", the man grinned, "I sure hope so, I've heard quite a bit about you two and I was wondering if the rumours were true. Anyway, we're here".

He halted near a door, knocking on it before entering the room.

"Sir, Shimizu Emi and Fujiwara Kaito are here as you requested", the guard announced as the newly graduated shinigami walked into the room.

"Very well, dismissed", Shinji nodded at the guard as his guests entered his office.

The office was smaller than Kaito had expected it to be, though it might've been the stacks of scrolls and papers that lined the walls. Several wallscrolls had been put up, each one with a different motivational speech. The clutter apparently had spread to the taichō's desk as well, either that, or that was the point of origin for the mess.

Kaito decided that is was probably the latter as he watched the man in front of him put some more papers on a dangerously unstable pile, seemingly unaware of the potentially catastrophic chain reaction it could have on the rest of the stacks littered across the room.

"I've been waiting for you", Shinji said as he quickly put aside some papers in order to make some room on his desk.

"Honestly, I thought you'd be dropping by yesterday", the man exclaimed as he leaned forward a bit, gesturing at his guests to sit down, wherever there was place available that is.

"We're terribly sorry for not meeting with you yesterday Yoshikune Taichō", Emi bowed, "but my father had requested that Kaito and myself meet with him as soon as possible after the graduation ceremony. The meeting just happened to extend well into the night".

"That's all right", the taichō smiled, "it's not as if Soul Society is going to end because of it. But let's get to the point. Fujiwara Kaito, Shimizu Emi, I hereby request that you join the fifth division as the respective third and fourth seat of my division. I have recently lost my previous third and fourth seats during a high risk assignment and I have not yet had the opportunity to fill in the vacant positions. I understand that it is rare for a graduate to be assigned as a seated officer, but both your levels of power more than qualify you for the position".

Amusedly, he looked at the two youngsters in front of him, their faces covered with disbelief and shock. He knew they'd been expecting to receive an invitation to join his division, but probably not one like this. It usually took a shinigami years, even decades, to reach the level suited for a seated officer.

"Sir, we can't accept this", Emi breathed. She still had some difficulties fully comprehending what had just been said to her. This was above all of her expectations. She wanted to say more, but was suddenly interrupted by Kaito.

"You're holding something back aren't you Yoshikune-san", Kaito grinned as he looked closely at the taichō.

"I guess", the man grinned. He hadn't expected Kaito to find out so quickly, but now that he was aware of the fact, he guessed that he shouldn't hold anything else back anymore.

"Indeed, as you have said, there's more to this than first meets the eye. Kaito-kun, both you and Emi-san here have astounding powers, but you still don't know how to fully control them. Not only that, but there currently are powers at work that might want to take advantage of your powers, I'm sure you remember the attack on the academy. We still don't know who was behind it, but the fact that the two of you, together with several of your friends, were specific targets, isn't reassuring. Because of this, I decided, together with several other taichō, that you should be trained as much as possible so that you can defend yourselves without any problem. We have also implemented a new patrol system. Instead of a lone shinigami patrolling an area, we now have shinigami working in pairs to cover each other's backs. This is why several of your tests, including the final exam, during the academy were also in pairs."

"So you mean that there's people after us?", Emi asked nervously.

"Not just after you, but after your friends as well. This is why several taichō have decided to take a pair of students that have a lot of promise under their wing. I will be personally supervising your training, with Handa Taichō, Fukuzawa Taichō and Fukuda Taichō occasionally taking over for when I'm unavailable. So, what do you say? Are you ready to join the fifth division of the Gotei 13?"

A few moments of silence passed between the taichō and his two recruits. Kaito looked at Emi, he couldn't stop a massive grin from forming on his face, and apparently, neither could she. Both looked at Shinji at the same time.

"We accept", their answer sounded in unison.

"Excellent", Shinji smiled, "then I'll have my secretary hand you your badges as symbol of your rank. Afterwards I'll introduce you to the rest of the division, and don't worry about a place to sleep, Shimizu Taichō contacted me earlier and arranged for you to use the house of my former third seat. After his demise, the house has been empty anyway and it's within the division grounds so it's perfect for the two of you to stay there".

"And don't worry", Shinji waved with his hand as he saw his new officers tried to interrupt him, "Shimizu Taichō has explained your situation to me, so I am well aware of the facts, even your little 'accident'. But don't worry, that secret is safe with me".

With a sigh of relief, Kaito and Emi slumped back into their chairs. They had shot up the moment their taichō had mentioned their betrothal and her pregnancy but they understood the need for him to know about it. After all, it would be quite a mess if he were to suddenly find out about it during a mission or something. Their living in the same house also made sure that there wouldn't be any suspicion as to what had happened when the pregnancy would finally be announced.

"Well, I guess I should let you go settle in now", Shinji said as he got up and walked to the door.

"Misaki-san, would you please be so kind as to give Kaito-kun and Emi-san their badges and show them to their residence?", he spoke to his secretary, who stood up immediately, gesturing at the couple to follow her.

The house was not as large as the Shimizu estate, but still, it was quite large to Kaito. Then again, he had been living in a small apartment during the last few years of his life, after which it had become a single dormitory room and later on, a relatively small attic.

"So this is going to become our new home eh?", Kaito smiled as he gently touched one of the wooden pillars supporting the roof over the exterior walkway. As with all of the other buildings in Seireitei, this one was also built in the classic Japanese style, which meant a lot of sliding doors, thin walls, wooden floors and long hallways. Not that he particularly disliked the style, far from it, it was just something he had to get used to.

"Uh huh", he heard Emi whisper as she slowly put her arms around his waist. Returning the gesture, Kaito slowly pulled her closer until they were locked in a gently hug. They stayed that way for a few minutes, until the sound of rattling wooden boards drew their attention. It was the signal for everyone to gather in the division assembly hall for the welcoming party for the two new officers. Quickly, they locked the door of their new home, made sure they had their badges and made for the party.

"I'm sure many of you have heard about these two already", Shinji began as he stood in at the head table, Kaito and Emi were standing on the right, while Shinji's fukutaichō, Hayase Mitsuki, stood to his left together with his secretary.

"For those of you that don't know them yet, these are Fujiwara Kaito and Shimizu Emi. Both of them are some of the most promising graduates in the academy's history and they've accepted my offer to join our division as the new third and fourth seat. I sincerely hope that you show them the same amount of respect that you show to me or Mitsuki here", he said, pointing at his fukutaichō.

"Now, enough with all the official stuff, it's boring enough as it is. Let the party begin".

This comment caused cheers to roar through the assembly hall as people immediately started the party, some decided to eat some things, others found drinking more interesting while some came to the head table to congratulate the two newest members of the division. Only a few people noticed the angry looks the couple were receiving from some of the fifth division members, and even those that noticed didn't pay too much attention to them. If they had, the night might not have turned bad later that evening.


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: I know, I know, it's been a while since I last posted an update.  
It's just that school is keeping my incredibly busy right now, third year of a bachelor's degree education ain't really easy, especially if you need to take four courses from the previous year as well. Take into account the fact that I practise a lot of sports and such, and the result is quite the limited schedule.  
I'll be trying to take up a somewhat regular release schedule, but it'll be nowhere as fast as I used to have with the earlier chapters.

* * *

Chapter 13

Kaito had been oddly aware of just about everything happening at the part. This was what saved him from being struck by a bottle of sake that had apparently found it amusing to sail through the air, aimed squarely at the back of his head. He snapped his head to the side, allowing it to sail over his shoulder before he easily snatched it out of the air.

"Why did you throw that bottle Fifth seat Hiroshi?", Kaito asked without even looking over his shoulder, the fluctuations in the reiatsu present in the room clearly pointing out the culprit. He'd expected that some of the officers would be holding both Emi and him in contempt after being passed over by two shinigami fresh from the academy, but even so, he found it to be utterly annoying to be proven correct.

"You still ask why?", the man shouted in a fit of rage. The man was obviously resenting both him and Emi. He was just glad his anger was focused on him instead of on Emi, both for his and the other officer's sake.

"I'll tell you why. Because some snot nosed spoiled academy brats suddenly barge in and take up the positions that should have been reserved for officers with more experience, such as myself".

Kaito sighed, he'd known this would eventually be cropping up and he decided to nip all the possible 'rebellions' in the bud. He quickly apologised to Emi, Shinji and Mitsuki and stood up before they even had a chance to react.

"Don't worry", he said calmly to his superiors, "I won't hurt him too much, I just plan on making it clear that it would be foolish to challenge our assignment. It's better to avoid having constant infighting in the division. I'm sorry that this might seem a bit harsh Yoshikune Taichō, but I see no other way".

"Don't worry Kaito-kun", Shinji smiled, reassuring the new officer, "I'm very well aware of that fact. Both Mitsuki and myself won't be butting in during the fight, something that will undoubtedly happen, though I very much wonder if it will be much of a fight though".

"Thank you for your confidence in me Taichō", Kaito smiled as he slowly moved towards the door of the building.

"Let's take this outside Fifth seat Hiroshi. It wouldn't be wise to cause unnecessary damage in our own compound".

Kaito's words however fell on deaf ears. Blinded by both rage and liqueur, the shinigami stormed forward, his sword drawn, the tip pointed at Kaito's heart.

Sighing, Kaito sidestepped the blade, his movements almost like water flowing about as he swivelled around his opponent, landing a quick punch against the rear of the knee as he went, causing Hiroshi to stumble forward. Some curious squad members that had been standing outside had to jump aside as the drunk officer came rolling out of the building, Kaito calmly stepping outside, ignoring the strange looks he was getting by those unaware of the situation.

"Don't you dare get cheeky with me boy", Hiroshi screamed as he was enraged even further by the humiliation he had just suffered, "Pound, Kanjoudakai!".

Instantly, his fists were encased in a strange, red glowing material, giving them the appearance of boxing gloves. His hulky frame accentuating the depiction of a boxer even further. Without a second thought, he charged in again, his right fist held back, ready to strike. Kaito on the other hand had already shifted into a fighting stance. One hand pointing out at the opponent, palm upwards, while the other was held near the temple, the palm pointing outwards.

"You won't get me with another one of those weird techniques boy", Hiroshi yelled as his feet quickly closed the gap between them, his long strides eating up the ground as if it were nothing. In an instant, he had Kaito within his range. He smirked as he launched his fist forward. Nothing had ever taken one of his punches and lived to tell the tale, be it hollow or anyone else, Quincy and shinigami alike. Thus, his surprise was immense as he found that his fist hit nothing but air, but instead found himself being tossed into the air.

The instant Hiroshi had launched his punch, Kaito had sprung to action, intercepting the punch with his outstretched hand and gently leading it away from him, allowing the destructive power to flow harmlessly past his face. At the same time, his other arm had snaked its way towards Hiroshi's throat, slamming into it before grabbing a hold of the man's clothes. Mustering his strength, Kaito swung his leg forward in a low kick, his hand pulling Hiroshi upwards as his leg swiped the support from underneath his opponent. Time seemed to slow down as Kaito watched his opponent float horizontally in midair, the man's eyes barely even registering the change in position.

Deciding not to give the man time to recover, Kaito brought his elbow down, slamming it into Hiroshi's midsection, several snaps indicating some broken ribs as his arm ploughed its way downward.

With a deafening bang, Hiroshi slammed into the ground, cracking several tiles in the process.

Silence immediately fell over the small courtyard in front of the building. Kaito still standing in his last position, his elbow still pointed down towards Hiroshi.

"I believe I have made my point about why I'm worthy of this position, haven't I, Hiroshi-san?", Kaito asked the man lying on the ground as he slowly righted himself again before walking towards Emi, Shinji and Mitsuki.

"Damn you, using a dirty fighting style like that. Somehow it doesn't surprise me that you have such a style as your own", Hiroshi spat as he carefully crawled to his knees, cradling his ribs with his left arm.

"For your information, the fighting style of an individual doesn't mean a thing, I fought you fair and square, and I won. Besides, that wasn't my own fighting style".

At these words, Hiroshi's face contorted in rage.

"What do you mean with that?"

"It means that the techniques I used against you were not part of my personal fighting style. As you should know, I'm a lightning and wind elementalist. Those moves were more part of the style used by a typical water elementalist, such as my fiancé here", Kaito explained, casually pointing in Emi's direction near the end of the explanation.

"The reason I used her style against you is simple. If I had used my own style, you'd be dead before you could even blink. So let this serve as a warning to you and everyone else that has any thoughts about attacking. If you attack me, you might escape with some minor injuries, but mark my words, if you dare hurt, or even attempt to hurt Emi, I'll personally make sure it's the last thing you'll ever do", his voice suddenly turning icy, fury reverberating in every syllable, causing a shiver to run down the spine of some of the lower ranked shinigami.

His cold attitude changed drastically though when he saw his taichō hold open his palm to a pair of eight seats, not even trying to hide his smirk as he pocketed the money they put there.

"Did you just bet on me?", Kaito asked his superior in disbelief.

"Hey, they started up the betting, I found it just as fair as to put some money on you. Can't blame me for raking in the profit", Shinji replied, a smug look still plastered across his face.

Sighing, Kaito shook his head in defeat. He had known that Shinji had some quirks, but he would never have thought him to act like that.

"I think it would be best if we retreat to our home Taichō", Emi said as she took a hold of Kaito's hand.

Shinji's demeanour changed immediately at hearing her statement. In an instant he had transformed from a happy go lucky man who had just won a bet to a commanding officer of a major military division.

"Agreed, even if Kaito made it clear that any insubordination won't be tolerated, it would still be best to lay low for a while, especially after the little show that was put on here. For now, I think it is best that you retreat to your quarters. As for the future, come to my office tomorrow, I think I've got something for the two of you".

"Understood", Kaito nodded in agreement. Not only did he have the same opinion about it as his superior, he also wanted some time alone with Emi.

"Fiancé", he sighed. The idea itself was going to take some getting used to. Not that he minded though. He smiled at Emi as he draped his arm around her shoulders and started leading her towards their mansion, ignoring the stares of the rest of the squad, with the notable exception of a few members of Emi's fanclub that had sprung up the second they had stepped into the Fifth Division headquarters. Though he had to admire their perseverance in some way, he still shot them angry glares, causing most of them to cower away. Their persistence also annoyed him greatly, though he found it quite amusing to see that Emi was having the exact same reaction to his own fanclub, the formation of which he hadn't been expecting to happen.

"Are those two going to be alright?", Mitsuki asked Shinji as they watched the couple walk away.

"Don't worry about those two Mitsuki. They're going to do just fine. I'd rather be more concerned with yourself", Shinji joked in response to his Fukutaichō's question, the comment causing a blush to creep up her cheeks.

"Don't be ridiculous Taichō. I don't have time for that", she said grumpily, "mostly because you have the habit of biting off more than you can chew, sir".

This time it was Shinji's turn to be embarrassed a bit. His division was one of the busiest divisions in the Gotei 13, mostly because Shinji offered his help to practically anyone who even mentioned having some trouble with something. As a result, both Mitsuki and himself often found themselves buried in stacks of paperwork.

Deciding to drop the issue, Mitsuki excused herself before heading off to bed herself, leaving Shinji to clean up the rest of the mess. She had absolutely no intention to waste any time she could be using to catch up some sleep.

Kaito couldn't help but smile when he saw their home as they rounded the corner. It was still a bit hard to believe. Less than a year ago he'd been cramming just live every other twenty year old student, now he was a ranking officer in a major military division, engaged to the heiress of a large noble family and soon to be a father.

"What's wrong Kaito?", Emi whispered softly in his ear, leaning against him even more in the process.

Kaito grinned.

"I'm fine hun. I was just thinking about how fast everything went this past year. It's hard to believe that a simple guy like me got to where I'm standing right now".

"You aren't just a simple guy Kaito, you're my fiancé, and one of the best shinigami I know of. And no matter what anyone says, you've earned everything you've attained".

Kaito could only smile as Emi talked. He knew she was right. With that in mind, he suddenly scooped her up in his arms, bringing about a small shriek from a surprised Emi.

"Kaito, put me down", she laughed, slapping his arm gently in the process.

"Nuh-Uh, this is our first night together in our own house, it just wouldn't be right if I didn't carry you inside".

"Is this some sort of tradition in the living world?"

"Somewhat, though usually only newlyweds do it. But I never really was one to stick to rules", he grinned as he carried Emi inside.

"Well, I sort of like it, it's a bit romantic", Emi snuggled closer to Kaito as they entered the bedroom.

"Oh, only a bit eh?", Kaito acted dejectedly, "well if that's the case".

He finished his sentence by dropping her onto the bed, bringing forth another shriek.

Not giving Emi any time to recover, he let himself drop onto the bed, kissing her to prevent her from making some sort of clever remark. It wasn't long before she returned the kiss, and soon they were huddled together, throwing off their clothes whenever they got in the way.

"That's not playing fair", she protested when they finally broke apart.

"I didn't hear you complain when I started kissing you", Kaito replied smugly, his hands resting lazily on her hips.

"True", she admitted, "but that doesn't mean you won't have to face the consequences of your actions mister".

Kaito was thoroughly surprised when she suddenly pushed him onto his back, straddling him in the process.

"Now it's my turn to surprise you", she said as she licked her lips before lowering herself to Kaito.

He could only grin as he grabbed a hold of Emi with one hand, putting out the few candles in the room with a quick flick of his other hand.

Several hours later, they both drifted off to sleep, tired from all the preceding activities.

"So what is this thing you said you had for us Taichō?", Kaito asked as he sat down next to Emi. It appeared to him that the amount of stacks present in the office had increased a bit overnight.

Shinji shifted in his seat, easing himself in a more comfortable position.

"You remember the excursion to the real world during your time at the academy, am I right?", he asked, his voice unusually serious.

"I'd have a hard time trying to forget it", Kaito answered. He'd seen too much that day, he'd seen fellow students and shinigami die, and the excursion had almost even cost him his own life, the scar on his chest still serving as a grim reminder of that day.

"After the excursion, we categorised the area as unstable, thus requiring constant monitoring by a team of shinigami. This type of mission is usually considered to be a long term, low risk mission, since every area that has had a shinigami casualty with a time span of ten years is categorised as unstable. The hollow activity in the area you're assigned to is a bit above average, but that shouldn't be a problem for the two of you I guess", Shinji smiled a bit as he laid down the details of the mission.

Emi frowned a bit though. She'd promised her father that she'd marry Kaito within two weeks.

"Yoshikune-Taichō, with all due respect, Kaito and I have our wedding in only two weeks. We can't leave on a long term assignment now", she protested, only to be silenced by Shinji holding up his hand.

"Don't worry Emi-kun", Shinji added quickly, "the other team won't be back for at least three weeks, so there's plenty of time for you to get married. As for the matter of someone being after the two of you, no one but myself, Mitsuki, your father and the two of you know where you'll be going. Everyone else will be told that the two of you are going on a top secret mission to one of the more remote sectors of Rukongai, following the trail of an alleged rogue shinigami. Consider this assignment to be your honeymoon".

Kaito couldn't help but smile at his superior's words. Though he easily noticed something was left out of the explanation of the mission.

"The purpose of this mission is also to keep us away from the rest of the fifth for now, am I right Taichō?".

"Sadly enough, you are", the man nodded, "After your confrontation with Hiroshi, tensions ran high within the division. Though you won quite a bit of support with that decisive victory, there are still quite a bit of people, most of them reasonable high ranking officers, that would rather see the two of you go".

"But sir, wouldn't it be better for us to stay here then? To try and defuse the situation by gaining their trust?", Emi asked.

"Not really. Right now, a large portion of the division's officers is opposed to your being here. Over time however, that resentment will weaken, something that happens more quickly when the two of you aren't around to incite their anger every time they see you. Once you've returned from the real world, which will be at least a few months from now. I'll be assigning the two of you to small squads for your missions. That way, you'll slowly gain their trust, provided you complete the mission and truly make an effort while doing so", Shinji explained.

"It's not like we really have a choice right?", Kaito said, smiling.

"Well, actually, you can choose to refuse to take the mission, but I would strongly advise you to take it. It might also serve as a sort of vacation for the two of you, well, except for the fact that you'll have to take care of a hollow every now and then".

Emi looked at Kaito. She'd already made up her mind. She suspected that Kaito was rather inclined to refuse the mission, mostly because of his connection with the place. "It's time for him to face the ghosts of the past", she thought. He had to come to terms with both his new life and his old. She knew how uncomfortable he had felt when they had visited her parents, she knew how odd it was for him to be thrust into the world of the shinigami all of a sudden. She decided to take action, before Kaito had a chance to inadvertedly ruin this chance.

"I think we should go Kaito", she said quickly, taking his hand in hers as she spoke.

Kaito sighed, he knew he'd lost the second Emi had expressed an interest in going. She didn't have to take his hand to convince him. One look in her emerald eyes was enough to completely sway his opinion of the assignment. It didn't help that he knew she was right.

"Alright, you win", he admitted his defeat, "We'll take the assignment Yoshikune-Taichō".

"I knew you would", Shinji smiled, winking a small thank you to Emi, "in preparation for both the wedding and the assignment, you are hereby exempted from any of your normal duties. Consider this as a sort of holiday, use it well. Just make sure I'm invited to the wedding".

"I've already made a list Yoshikune-Taichō", Emi smiled happily. Truth be told, she'd already started putting together a list of people she wanted to see at the wedding the moment her father had given her permission to marry Kaito. She was planning on inviting everyone from their class at the academy, their teacher, Nakajima-sensei and Yoshikune-Taichō, Kago-Taichō, Handa-Taichō, Fukuda-Taichō and Fukuzawa-Taichō, together with their fukutaichō. The group would be complemented by a few close friends and family, but no one else. It wouldn't be some grand event as was the custom with a few of the other noble families, just a simple ceremony limited to family and friends.

"And don't worry, your name is one of the first on it", she smiled, "I'll be sending the official invitations within a few days".

Hearing her talk about planning the wedding caused Kaito to throw a confused look at his fiancée. He hadn't thought of anything else but the wedding itself. He hadn't thought of the invitations, the food that would be presented, the decorations, heck, he didn't even have a suit to put on.

"Crap", he thought, "I really need to ask Emi's father, I mean, Yuuji-san about the wedding. If I don't, I don't even what Emi would do to me otherwise".

"Don't worry Kaito, I've already prepared something for you", Emi suddenly said. She'd seen the sudden look of revelation dawning on Kaito's face and had immediately made the connection. It wasn't that bad though. She'd even expected to take care of everything, well, together with her mother that is. It wasn't easy to organise a wedding, especially your own, on such a short notice. Though Kaito's little problem of not having a suit would be quite easy to solve. Since there simply wasn't enough time to have both a suit for Kaito and a dress for herself made from scratch, they were simply going to use the wedding clothes from her parents' wedding, with a few adjustments to them of course. The rest of the wedding was just as easy. The cooks would be quite capable of creating a veritable feast on a short notice, and decorations would be kept quite simple, adding to the already modest nature of the ceremony.

"Honestly, what is with all those other girls from noble families, all of them wanting some big ceremony for their wedding. It's just a waste of time, money and effort".

Emi had always dreamed of being married, just like any other girl, but it didn't have to be all glamorous for her, on the contrary.

"Well then", Shinji suddenly interrupted her mental rant, "I believe this concludes our meeting. I'll be giving you the details of the mission on the day you leave. The only ones knowing where you'll be going are both myself and your father, Mitsuki here and the two of you. Everyone else will be told that you are being assigned to that rogue shinigami hunt. You'll have to find a place to spend the night yourselves, but I can assure you that you'll be provided with an ample amount of funds. You should have no difficulties in finding somewhere to sleep".

"Ehm, sir, how can we possible hire an apartment to spend the night if we can't be seen by normal people, we're spirits right?", Kaito asked. Shinji's explanation had him momentarily baffled.

"While we're out there, we'll usually be in gigai, artificial bodies", Emi explained, earning herself an approving nod of Shinji.

"They're used by shinigami when they're either severely injured and need to hide from hollow, or when they are on a long term assignment, and thus need a place to sleep and such. Spirits inhabiting a gigai can be seen by normal people, since they're actual objects in the real world, shinigami can just possess them to make them move and such. It's nothing special really, you just get in and it'll be like your own body".

Hearing Emi's explanation, Shinji snickered a bit, causing Emi to shoot him an annoyed glare.

"Don't let the guys from the science department hear you say that Emi-chan. They consider building a gigai to be equal to a fine art. To call a gigai something that's not special is like personally insulting them. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone", the taichō smiled.

"Are there any more questions about the mission then?", Shinji finally asked, throwing a stack of papers behind his chair in the process.

"Not at all sir", Kaito and Emi shouted in response.

"Excellent", Shinji nodded, "dismissed. Go enjoy your days off now".

After having saluted, the couple left their commander's office and started moving towards their home.

"So, what do you think about the assignment Emi?", Kaito asked as they walked through the division headquarters, returning the greetings of some of their more accepting subordinates along the way.

"I don't really know Kaito", she answered, "and actually, I try not to think about it. It's in three weeks you know, and there's a much more important event coming up before that".

"True enough", Kaito chuckled. He had to admit that he too had been thinking more about their wedding than about the upcoming mission. It just seemed to insignificant compared to the event that would probably change the rest of his life. Well, life in the figurative sense of the word at least. He'd never really live again in the real world. He'd mostly gotten over it, he had found happiness here in soul society, though it was still a bit hard to think about his parents and little sister.

He shook his head. That strain of thought wasn't really suited for the moment. Noticing the slightly worried look in Emi's eyes, he just smiled, assuring her that he was fine.

He had better things to do than worry her.

Emi had noticed the slight change in Kaito's composure almost right away. His eyes had started to stare into the distance, seemingly looking at something invisible to herself. Only when he turned towards her and smiled did she let go of her anxiety.

"He's probably just thinking about something. If he wants to talk about it, he'll do so when he decides the time is right", she decided. She wasn't about to push the issue. That could very well have the opposite effect on him. She'd let him come to her if he felt ready to talk about it.

She took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. Ignoring the occasional strange or envious look they were getting, they continued on towards their mansion.

A few weeks later it had become a common sight in the fifth division headquarters to see the third seat and the fourth seat walking around the grounds. They had even been spotted outside of the headquarters quite often, most of the time looking for something for their wedding or for someone to give an invitation to. They had already visited the third, fourth, sixth, eleventh and twelfth division headquarters. Most of the time to deliver an invitation to either a few of the squad members or even the taichō themselves. Emi's father, Yuuji, had been so kind as to deliver the invitations to some of Emi's friends in the ninth division himself. That way, they wouldn't risk triggering his fukutaichō's still lingering rage about his cancelled betrothing to Emi.

"So, tomorrow's the big day", a voice sounded from behind Kaito and Emi as they were walking along one of the division's training rooms. Turning around, they saw Shinji slowly walking towards them, Mitsuki in his wake.

"You nervous?", the taichō asked casually.

"Not really", Emi answered, "we've been planning it for the past few weeks now. Don't worry, everything will be fine".

"I sure hope so", Kaito grumbled. He'd come in contact with a certain law made by a guy named Murphy a few times too many in the past.

"Don't fret Kaito", Emi playfully slapped him on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about him Taichō", she continued, "he's just a bit grumpy that he has to spend the night away from me. It's a tradition that the groom doesn't see the bride before the wedding. I can only agree with that tradition, it'll be a nice surprise for him".

"Hey, I'm not grumpy you know", Kaito protested, "I'm just a bit nervous, that's all".

"That's understandable", Shinji said, a slightly joking undertone in his voice, "it is after all an important moment in both your lives. No more freedom".

They laughed at this comment, though both Kaito and Emi waved it off a bit. They didn't really mind being bound to one another.


	15. Chapter 14

Author's Rant: Right, not such a long wait this time. I'm hoping you like this chapter as well, but I'm just not really that good with romance scenes (well, they do take a little while longer for me to write). And to provide an answer to a question.

Kaito's zanpakuto Hyakuenrai, means A hundred distant thunderclaps, while Emi's Zanpakuto Ayame means Dark rain and the big bad Jun's zanpakuto Mouko means Fierce tiger

I'll be explaining about a few of the other zanpakuto names the next time, so don't worry

* * *

Chapter 14

"I just can't believe that my little girl is getting married", Shimizu Reiko cried a bit as she helped Emi put on her dress. She'd adjusted her own wedding dress a bit for the occasion since there hadn't been enough time to create a new one from scratch, nevertheless, the result was simply stunning. Emi's hair had been tied up in her trademark high ponytail, a few small flowers had been woven in the decorative ribbon that kept had been used to tie her hair together.

Her daughter looked stunning. The pure white kimono based on the regular shinigami's uniform accentuated every curve, yet left even more up to imagination. A fine pattern had been carefully woven all across the dress, golden highlights had been meticulously embedded into the fine textile, refracting rays of light falling onto it, giving the bride an almost divine radiance. Her zanpakutō had been tucked carefully into the sash around her waist, the sky-blue sheath complementing the white of the dress completely.

"It's beautiful mom", Emi breathed as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had just taken up the silk veil and had draped it across her back, holding both ends with her hands.

"Yes it is honey", Reiko whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. She still found it hard to believe that her own child was growing up so quickly. At first, she had objected against her husband's decision to have her marry Kaito, that is, until she heard of her daughter's pregnancy. She'd wanted to storm into the party and gut the young lad that had the nerve to sleep with her daughter and only the timely intervention of her husband had stopped her. For once, she had been the one listening to reason, but she had to admit, once she saw Emi dancing with Kaito, she'd known. The two of them had been made for each other. They were drawn together by their very nature, nothing would stop them from being together and anything that came between them would be removed, forcibly if necessary.

Still, she was eagerly anticipating her soon to be son-in-law's reaction when he would finally see his fiancée, though she had a pretty good idea of what it would be like.

"Men are so predictable sometimes", she thought as she smirked slightly, remembering the look on her husband's face when she'd walked up to the altar herself.

"Listen son", Yuuji said as he casually draped his arm around Kaito, "don't make the same mistake I made when I got married".

"What do you mean Yuuji-san?", Kaito asked, confused by the man's seriousness.

"You see, you'll be standing there in front of the altar when I walk my daughter towards you, and trust me that she'll look beautiful. She takes after her mother after all. It's just that, when I myself stood there in front of the altar, Reiko's appearance down the aisle made me look like a fool".

"What did you do then?"

"I just stared at her, if my jaw hadn't been firmly attached to my head, I think it might have crashed into the floor the moment she appeared. I had to endure the teasing of my friends for several months before they let it drop. I'm telling you, it was pure embarrassment afterwards, even though I didn't really care about it at the time".

"I'll try to remember that", Kaito smiled. He'd never expected Yuuji, the leader of the Shimizu clan, Taichō of the Ninth Division of the Gotei 13, to be such a relaxed person when talking to a friend. Of course, they were having a private conversation, but still, it was nice to know that there were nobles that were human.

"It's finally time eh, Hyakuenrai", Kaito smiled as he picked up his zanpakutō and tucked it into his sash. Hearing a soft approving growl, he gently patted the sword's hilt.

Kaito was also wearing a modified version of the shinigami uniform, though the black fabric produced a stark offset with the white of the bride's dress. It symbolised the two sides on a wedding, yin and yang. It was an old tradition in the Shimizu family, symbolising the balance between the two was said to bring forth a successful marriage.

"Right", Yuuji suddenly clapped as he gave Kaito a gentle shove out of the dressing room, "time for you to get to the altar son. I'll make sure Emi gets there as well".

He smiled as he left for Emi's dressing room, leaving a smiling Kaito in his wake.

"She's really chosen a good husband", he mused as he walked down the hallway, humming an old tune as he went.

Kaito didn't have any difficulty reaching the small family temple located within the walls of the estate. He'd been brought there by Yuuji a few times before, being explained the details of the ceremony so that he wouldn't make a wrong move or anything.

He noticed several of the guests already sitting down in the small temple. He sighed as he let his eyes glide over the assembled crowd, it was good to see his friends again after the month or so that had passed since their graduation day.

He couldn't suppress a chuckle when he saw Midorikawa subtly casting a low level kidō spell on Miharu, keeping her seated without her even noticing.

"Damn, he's gotten even better at those", Kaito thought as he watched from outside the temple, quickly reinforcing the mental note of not pissing off the already infamous kidō master.

"So, are you ready?", Kaito suddenly heard Shinji's voice coming from behind him. He turned around, coming face to face with his superior officer who had dressed in a ceremonial uniform for the occasion. After hearing that he needed a best man for the wedding, Kaito had quickly decided that Shinji, as the first person he'd ever met as a spirit, should be the one to accompany him as he stood at the altar.

"Yeah, I'm good", Kaito nodded in response to the taichō's question.

"Let's go then, it's about time we got you up there", Shinji said as he pointed in the altar's direction.

Kaito couldn't help but smile as he walked into the temple, everyone present turning around to look at him. The smile turned into a grin when he saw varying expressions on his friend's faces, ranging from Miharu's trademark cheer to a suggestive smirk on Akimoto's face.

Slowly, he walked towards the altar, head held high, Shinji following him closely. The light cast into the temple shattered onto pure white lilies, causing them to glow ethereally. The spectacle blinding anyone that looked directly into it.

He received a nod from the priest as he finally stepped up to his place at the altar. Returning the nod, Kaito noticed that he wouldn't have to wait long for Emi to show up. Hearing an audible gasp from the guests, he turned around, preparing himself mentally for what would be shown to him.

He'd seen Emi in a lot of different attires, her academy uniform, the shinigami uniform, casual clothing, heck, he'd even seen her without clothes. He thought he knew every bit of her beauty. Nevertheless, he had underestimated once again the effect Emi could have on him. Remembering Yuuji's words, Kaito tightened the muscles in his jaw right before it threatened to slam down to the floor, keeping it shut tightly. He'd just fallen in love with Shimizu Emi all over again, he realised when he watched her walk down the aisle, Yuuji walking next to her, holding her arm, smiling as they went.

"Thank God, he isn't embarrassing himself as I did", Yuuji thought as he accompanied his daughter on her trek to the altar, "but I still don't really like that look in his eyes. Well, can't say I blame him, Reiko did a wonderful job of dressing up Emi".

Emi decided she was living the happiest day in her life the moment she stepped out of the dressing room and towards the altar. Everyone she had invited was there, both her father and her mother were there and had approved of her marriage.

"This day is just perfect", she concluded as she watched her fiancée stand at the altar, waiting for her. She couldn't help but throw him a concealed wink and a grin as she took her place next to him, taking his hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today...", the priest began the wedding.

Afterwards, Kaito had trouble remembering the wedding. All he could recall was saying yes at the appropriate time and hearing Emi do the same. The next thing he knew was hearing several people cheer as he kissed Emi, pulling her against him, seemingly planning to never let go again.

After what seemed an eternity, he finally broke free from the kiss. Pulling back his head a bit, he stared into her brilliant green eyes. Noticing the shimmer forming in them, he moved his hand so it cupped her cheek. She locked her eyes with his for a moment, before burying her face in his shoulder, dragging him into a tight hug again.

Emi couldn't help but cry. Never in her life had she felt this much happiness. Still, she didn't want to act all emotional when she was still standing in the spotlight. Using Kaito's shoulder as an improvised napkin, she quickly dried her tears and stared into his eyes again.

"Thank you", she smiled as she leaned forward and kissed him again.

"You're welcome, and thank you too", Kaito smiled at her as they both turned towards their friends and family who were now approaching the couple.

"Hey Emi, throw the bouquet", Saruwatari suddenly yelled as she and most of the other ladies present tried to position themselves in the most advantageous position they could find.

"Ok", Emi shouted back as she turned around and threw the flowers over her shoulder.

She quickly turned to see who caught the bouquet, but started laughing the second she saw the mayhem it had caused.

Midorikawa, in a rare show of excellent reflexes and blinding speed, had caught Miharu's ankle as she tried to snatch the flowers using shunpō, causing her to crash face first into the floor. Meanwhile, the squabbling between Chisaki, Saruwatari, and much to everyone's surprise, the one and only Kago Asuka, had caused the bouquet to land straight into the lap of a bewildered Mitsuki, who had decided to stay out of the action.

"How the", the three ladies exclaimed in unison as they watched in horror while Mitsuki slowly plucked the bouquet from her lap, staring at it intently.

"Looks like you're the next one to be married Mitsuki", Shinji teased as he walked towards his fukutaichō.

"Can I have the honour of being the lucky one?", he chuckled.

"Ok, I accept", Mitsuki replied, deadpan, "and I'll be keeping you to it you know".

Had someone dropped a needle at that moment, it would have sounded deafening to those present.

"You're in for it now Shinji-kun", Naoki finally broke the silence, grinning from ear to ear. An expression that was being mimicked by everyone present except for Shinji himself.

"You're serious aren't you?", Shinji whispered, his baffled expression changing to a serious one in the blink of an eye.

Noticing Mitsuki's unchanging demeanour, he smiled.

"Looks like I'll have to take responsibility for my actions then".

Hearing Shinji's words, Mitsuki's expression slowly softened until she was smiling just as broadly as Shinji right before she flung herself around his neck.

It didn't take long for the rest of the gathered crowd to burst into a spontaneous applause and soon everyone was standing around the new couple ,congratulating them with their engagement, the recent marriage all but forgotten. Not that Kaito and Emi minded though. They were both also busy talking to Shinji and Mitsuki, both of them asking how the situation had actually come to be.

"As a matter of fact, I've known for quite a while that Mitsuki here was in love with me. No matter how hard she tried to hide it", Shinji said as he draped his arm around her shoulder, "and to be honest, I just couldn't stop myself from falling in love with her as well. And when the bouquet here landed in her lap, I just couldn't stop myself. Though I never expected her to actually take it that seriously".

He tried to say something else, but was interrupted as Mitsuki softly cuffed him against the back of his head.

"Don't you ever dare think that a girl wouldn't take something like that seriously, and that's just as much for you guys as well", Mitsuki said as he threw a half-hearted glare to the rest of the men present.

"Hey, don't look at me", Naoki grinned as he wrapped his arm around Yushio's waist, "I've asked the question a long time ago, and I was serious about it".

"Took you long enough though", Yushio muttered quietly, but hard enough for the rest to hear it.

"Are you still mad about that dear?"

"No, I'm not, I was just saying"

"And here they go again", Tetsuo grinned, "let's go people, this might take a while. I suggest we go party".

Receiving quite a bit of cheers as a response, Tetsuo led the group out of the temple and back towards the main building, leaving Naoki and Yushio behind as they squabbled a bit. It wasn't long before they too joined the party though, their small argument long forgotten.

Kaito took Emi's hand as the band hired by Yuuji started playing their first song. Immediately, they pulled each other closer and started to dance to the tunes of the music.

"So, how does being married feel Emi?", Kaito whispered in her ear as they danced.

"Not too bad actually", she whispered back, "I sort of like the feeling of being married to you".

"Not too bad eh?", a grin suddenly forming on Kaito's face, "looks like I'll have to try and chance your opinion of that to extremely nice".

"Now you've made me curious Kaito", Emi grinned, "let's see if you can make me change my opinion".

After a few songs of being huddled together, they broke apart as Kaito saw Yuuji approaching.

"May I cut in?", the man asked, holding out his hand towards his daughter.

"Of course", Kaito smiled.

After having moved off the dance floor and having got himself a drink, Kaito watched father and daughter dance. He could see them talking, but couldn't make out the words. Not that he wanted to, it was probably something best left between the two of them.

As the party drew to a close, Kaito had already given away more dances than he could approve of.

"Sorry Yoshikune-Taichō", he interrupted Shinji as the band announced the last dance, "but I'll be taking this dance".

"Then I'd better be getting out of your way Kaito-kun", Shinji smiled at the couple before walking to Mitsuki.

"You jealous Kaito?", Emi grinned as he took her hand and pulled her close again.

"Not really, but I was thinking that I've had way too few chances to hold you today".

"Hmmm, I agree".

Not minding the music, Emi leaned forward into a kiss, one which Kaito returned with much fervour.

"I love you Emi", Kaito said as they broke apart again.

"Hmmm", Emi mumbled as she leaned against his shoulder, "I love you too Kaito".

News of the marriage and the new engagement had spread like a wildfire around the Gotei 13. Kaito had to admit he'd severely underestimated the local gossip network, the results of which were now being felt by the top four officers of the Fifth Division. His own marriage had been public knowledge, but it was amazing how easily people were able to find out some of the details, such as the comical events that had taken place that night during the party. Midorikawa using kidō to paint a glowing heart in the air above Shinji and Mitsuki as they were sitting together was only one of them. Even considering that the kidō master had been a bit drunk at the moment, Kaito was still surprised that Midorikawa actually had a sense of romance in him. It was either that or some weird drunk's sense of humour. They'd all agreed that whatever happened would stay within the walls of the Shimizu estate, especially the taichō. Practically all of them had embarrassed themselves on one point during the party, and most wouldn't like to see it becoming public knowledge. Even so, there wasn't a soul in the Gotei 13 that didn't know about them anyway after a while. Shinji and Mitsuki were now constantly being bothered by either fangirls and fanboys from the respective fan clubs or people that were being too curious for their own good. Combined with the already massive load of paperwork present in Shinji's office, this caused the two of them to almost suffer from a nervous breakdown. Only the combined effort of Kaito and Emi was able to avert a disaster as they spent their last week in Soul Society in the division headquarters working on the mountain of paper while a special kidō spell by Shinji held off any unwanted visitors. Those that did try to challenge the barrier were left with some very nasty consequences. Only a few examples were necessary for the rest of them to get the message and soon they were left to work in peace.

"Not exactly what I had in mind when thinking of the week after our wedding", Emi said as she and Kaito walked back to their home from work.

"Well, it can't be helped. Shinji and Mitsuki have enough work as it is and they don't need anyone bothering them. Besides, helping them through some of that bloody paperwork will give them some time off, which they really need if you ask me".

"True, the two of them have been dead tired ever since our wedding, and before you open your mouth Kaito, it is because of the paperwork".

"I wasn't saying anything".

"Just a precaution dear".

"Riiiiiight", Kaito grinned, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist, pulling her close. Tomorrow was the 'big' day, the day they left for their assignment in the real world. They'd been preparing for it for a while now, gathering some of their belongings, finishing some necessary paperwork and most of the time just meditating, conversing both with each other and their swords. They found that they both needed the mental preparation.

They met up with Shinji, Mitsuki and Yuuji the following morning at the Shimizu Clan's personal Senkai gate. They'd chosen this gate because it would be quite easy for Yuuji to delete the usage record from the logs. Using one of the official Gotei gates would have had the same effect as announcing to the whole dimension that they were headed to the real world, thus giving away their position to their enemies.

"Yuuji, are the preparations complete?", Shinji asked his fellow taichō as he watched the blue glow of the interdimensional gateway.

"I've set the gate equipment to stop logging any events for a window of about half an hour. Monitoring devices have been fed a pre-recorded loop and I've made sure no one can enter the control room", Yuuji replied, his face set in what his subordinates called his commander-face. Whenever he showed it, it meant that he was being completely serious and utterly devoted to the task at hand.

"Excellent", Shinji nodded to Yuuji before turning to the two youngsters standing in front of him.

"You two ready to go?".

Receiving a nod from the two of them, the two taichō's and the fukutaichō stepped aside as Kaito and Emi started walking towards the Senkai Gate.

"Good luck you two", Shinji said, smiling at his two subordinates. Mitsuki nodding her accord.

"Keep her safe Kaito", Yuuji whispered in Kaito's ear, placing his hand on his son-in-law's shoulder for a moment as they walked past him.

Kaito gave him a barely perceptible nod and continued walking. Only when they stood right in front of the gate did they turn around and wave at Shinji, Mitsuki and Yuuji.

"We'll be back before you know it dad", Emi grinned, stepping through the gate, dragging Kaito along with her. Immediately, the gate started closing behind them. It wasn't until it closed with a dull thud, that Yuuji sat down onto the pavement in front of the gate.

"Cheer up Shimizu-san", Shinji reassured Yuuji, "They won't be gone that long, besides, they'll be perfectly safe. I've made sure there are several barriers to mask their reiatsu around their assigned area and no one but us is aware of them even being there. For all the rest of Soul Society knows, they're in the outskirts of the Rukongai wasteland, hunting down a fugitive shinigami".

"I know Yoshikune-san", Yuuji sighed, "It's just that it's the first time that my little girl is completely out of my own hands. The academy is pretty close by and an emergency Senkai gate is always open in case of emergency during one of the excursions. This time, she truly is away from me".

"I know it's hard to let go sometimes my friend", Shinji said, placing his hand on Yuuji's shoulder, trying his hardest not to think of the people he'd lost in the past, "But don't worry, they'll be fine".

"Yeah, you're right".

"Now come on, let's grab something to eat. All this tension has given me an appetite".

Smiling, Yuuji followed Shinji and Mitsuki back towards the Fifth Division headquarters.

"So, where are we Kaito", Emi asked as they stepped out of the gate, into the real world, just above a bridge overlooking a suburb, the lights of downtown Tokyo shining in the distance.

Her words fell on deaf ears though. Kaito had been staring at the cityscape in front of him the second they'd stepped out of the gate.

"Kaito?", Emi gently nudged him, snapping him out of his trance.

"Sorry", he mumbled, "It's just that I used to live here. This is Komae City, one of the suburbs located to the west of Tokyo. It hasn't changed much since I last saw it".

"It's only been one year, hasn't it Kaito?"

"Just about yeah. But it doesn't really matter right? Even if this place didn't change that much, I did".

They stood silent for a few minutes, simply looking out over the myriad of buildings in front of them, before Kaito finally broke the silence.

"Let's go find ourselves a place to spend the night. If I'm right, and if the prices haven't changed, it'll take us a while to find a decent place to rent".

"Then we better get into our gigai", Emi nodded, "it'll also give us a bit of practise. I heard that it's quite hard to get accustomed to it if you're new to using them".

After searching for a secluded place for a few minutes, they finally found a narrow alleyway, well away from any curious bystanders. They pulled out a small ball, not larger than your standard marble and carefully channelled their reiatsu into it, causing it to expand rapidly. Throwing the balls to the ground, Kaito and Emi watched as the two balls slowly started to take shape until each was a perfect copy of the owner, be it clothed in normal clothes instead of the shinigami uniform.

"Those guys from the science department really know their stuff", Kaito grinned as he pulled his fake body upright before simply stepping into it.

"True, though I have no idea how they got my measurements", Emi muttered as she too stepped into her gigai.

"Better not to think about it hun", Kaito smiled, "though I think they just calculate the appropriate sizes through some extreme mathematical formulae".

A few tests later, Kaito and Emi were both confident they had complete control over their new bodies and soon they'd moved out onto the main street, mixing in with the crowd. While Emi was just looking around, Kaito was in the middle of having a decidedly odd reaction to being in the real world again, not to mention, in a 'real' body. It was a weird feeling, he concluded, to be dead and at the same time, to be alive.

Shaking off the feeling, he led them towards one of the real estate dealers he knew where, after careful consideration, they picked out a small apartment located in the centre of the town.

"I still don't see why you were so adamant in choosing that specific place Kaito", Emi said as they walked through the town again, the contract safely stuffed in Kaito's pocket.

"Trust me, I used to live here, and that was probably the best deal you would be able to find around here. Not to mention the fact that it's pretty close to both the station and the shopping district. We'll be needing some supplies if we're to get by you know".

"Right", she nodded. She still wasn't really used to the idea that from now on, they would be responsible for their own food for a couple of months.

"At least I know how to cook", Kaito chuckled in his mind. But his happy thoughts were soon driven away as he noticed his memories of his time as a human came drifting back to him. Even though he'd been living alone ever since he started to attend university, he never had been far from his parents. They lived in Komae, only a few kilometres from his own apartment, his noisy little sister being the main reason for him moving out of the house, he had still visited them every few days. He'd been on the way back from one of his visits when he'd been attacked by that hollow. Even his new place, the one where he'd be spending the next few months with Emi, was only a few kilometres from their house. In fact, it wasn't that far from his old place either. A matter of a few hundred meters.

He gripped Emi's hand a bit tighter as he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

"What's wrong Kaito?", Emi asked as she noticed the change in Kaito's behaviour.

"Something's going to happen Emi", he replied, his voice a bit shaky.

Just at that moment, he heard an awfully familiar voice behind him call out.

"Kaito? Is that you?"


	16. Chapter 15

AN:Well, long wait for this chapter, but it can't really be helped. They ought to make a law or something that protects students from being overworked by their teachers, sheesh.

In any case, this project is far from over, I'm aiming for 150.000 words minimum, and I'm still only at about 68.000, so that's not even halfway.

But of course, it won't be progressing that fast, with exams coming up, the two other stories I'm working on, some general trouble and a whole lot more.

* * *

Chapter 15

Kaito froze midstep as an awfully familiar voice reached his ears. Slowly, he turned around, only to come face to face with a face he hadn't been expecting to see ever again.

"Mom", he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"This can't be", the woman breathed, "you died almost a year ago".

She tried to talk more, but couldn't stop herself from flinging herself into her lost son's arms, crying for all she was worth. Nevertheless, she found herself drawn towards the her son.

"Even if this isn't real, even if this is a figment of my imagination. I don't care, "she cried as she hugged her son tight.

Kaito on the other hand was at a loss for words. His only reaction was to wrap his arms around his mother and hold her tight, hoping that she would soon realise that he was really there.

After a few minutes, his mother's crying lessened and she finally let Kaito out of the bone-crushing hug.

"I'm really here mom", Kaito said, finally having found his voice back.

"But how?", she asked, her eyes still red from all of the crying.

"It's a long story", he said, "but we'd better go home now".

The little scene had drawn quite the crowd. Passersby had gathered and were now staring at the family reunion in anticipation of what would happen next.

"Ok", she nodded, tears still in her eyes.

Immediately she turned around and started heading for the Fujiwara household, Kaito and Emi walking right behind her.

Kaito glanced at Emi as he suddenly felt her taking his hand in hers, giving it a slight squeeze.

"I'm fine, thanks", he mouthed. Apparently he wasn't the only one that was a bit stressed out over the more recent events.

After a short walk through familiar streets, past familiar houses, they finally arrived. Wordlessly, his mother opened the door and stepped through, turning around and holding the door open for her son.

"Who's she?", she asked as she finally noticed Emi standing besides Kaito.

"Mom, this is Emi".

"And what does she have to do with you?", his mother continued, her voice now starting to become inquisitive in nature.

"As I said mom, long story", he sighed.

"She's finally seen me again after a year and she's already starting her interrogations as if nothing ever happened. Some things just never change", Kaito thought as he stepped inside, taking off his shoes before stepping onto the wooden floor. Emi following his example.

"Jiro, Ayano", his mother yelled as soon as she'd closed the door, "could you come down to the living room for a moment?"

"Ok mom", a girl's voice came down from one of the rooms upstairs, followed by a man's voice shouting almost the same thing.

"Let's move to the living room", she said quickly to Kaito and Emi, ushering them further into the house.

"So what's this about Yukino?", Fujiwara Jiro asked his wife as he opened the door and stepped into the living room.

He didn't get any further than a few steps, for soon enough he had spotted the couple sitting in one of the couches. He froze in place, his face contorted into an expression of utter shock.

"Hey dad, what's going on? Move out of the way", a girl suddenly spoke up right behind him. Using her natural flexibility, she was quickly able to slip past him and into the living room, the scene in front of her causing exactly the same reaction it had caused with her father.

After a few minutes, the two of them shook off their surprise and finally seemed to come to their senses.

"Kai-chan?", Ayano spoke softly, as if the very act of speaking would suffice to dispel the hallucination in front of her. Those thoughts were quickly dismissed though, when Kaito spoke up.

"Didn't I tell you to stop using that stupid nickname?", Kaito grinned.

"Some things never do change", he thought by himself again.

After all of his family members, besides Emi of course, had gotten over their shock. He set himself underway for giving a thorough explanation.

"It's alright if I tell them, right?", he asked Emi.

"Well, strictly speaking, it is against the rules, but since they're family, I suppose an exception can be made", she smiled.

"Right", he grinned, "this is going to be hard to explain".

In the course of the next few hours, Kaito explained everything that had happened so far, only leaving a detail out here and there. There was no need for his parents to know about his brushes with death, well, relatively speaking.

"So let me get this straight", Jiro finally spoke up. He hadn't said a word since he had first entered the room, "You did die that day, but your soul survived. After that, you trained to become a shinigami, which you are right now. So where does she come in?", he pointed at Emi.

Kaito shrugged. He wasn't all too eager to tell his parents about his relationship with Emi. They'd always been droning on about how he should have a long standing relationship with a girl before ever even considering marriage. Yet here he was, only twenty years old, a high ranking officer of a major military division, husband to the heir of one of the major noble houses in Soul Society and soon to be father.

"She's my wife", Kaito explained calmly. He figured it was useless trying to keep anything from his family, especially his mother. If the looks she was giving Emi were any indication, she already had her suspicions. She'd always been quite sharp about those things, and something such as a wedding ring would be impossible to overlook.

Their reactions were somewhat of a disappointment though. His father only had a severe look on his face while Ayano had a mischievous glint in her eyes, as usual.

Then again, he'd have to pull quite the stunt to top what he'd been explaining only moments before.

"I figured as much", Yukino sighed, sharp as ever.

"Is there anything else you would like to tell us Kaito?", she continued.

"She really is sharp", Kaito muttered mentally as he sighed for what must have been the hundredth time in a few hours.

"Yeah, there is something else", he said, "she's pregnant".

"Looks like I didn't have to pull another stunt to top their previous reaction", he mused as he watched his parent's faces. "Then again, in a way, I did pull quite the stunt, again".

"Soooo", Ayano broke through the silence in the room, "does that mean I'm going to be an aunt?".

"I guess so", Emi smiled at her sister in law.

"Kaito", two angry voices interrupted her.

"Awwww crap, here it comes", Kaito braced himself for the royal scolding he was going to receive. Meanwhile Ayano had scrambled behind one of the couches, well out of range of both her parents and her brother and his wife. Her eyes barely visible over the edge of the couch.

Just as he had suspected, both his parents started unloading on him practically immediately. They took turns yelling at Kaito, taking over as soon as one of them started to tire. Any attempt made by Emi to go stand between Kaito and his parents was quickly met with a fierce glare that caused her to reconsider instantly.

It took them well over an half an hour to vent all of their feelings.

"I still can't believe you could have been so irresponsible Kaito", his mother said, finally bringing the strength of her voice down to a more pleasant level.

"I agree with your mother", Jiro nodded. He'd always been very strict about traditions and a decent upbringing for his children, even more so than Yukino, "I simply cannot understand how it is possible for you to be so thoughtless".

Kaito sighed, he had expected that his parents would be responding to Emi's pregnancy in this way, though it still had been bothersome as hell.

"Please don't blame Kaito for what happened", Emi finally managed to get in a few words, causing both Yukino and Jiro to shift their gazes away from Kaito.

"I'm equally to blame for all this".

"Nonsense, our son should have exercised more restraint than this", Jiro exclaimed, waving his hands in an attempt to silence Emi's protests.

"It's a man's duty to ensure that things like that don't happen".

"Dad, don't talk like that", Kaito growled, "I'm not a kid anymore, I'm twenty for crying out loud".

"That might be so, but that's still extremely young to get married. Besides, how old is Emi?".

"For your information dad, spirits don't age at the same rate as humans. In other words, she's even older than you".

This revelation left Jiro and Yukino speechless as their minds attempted to process the newly given information.

After a few seconds, a muffled giggle from Ayano drew the attention from everyone.

"I know you like to go after older women Kai-chan, but this is taking it a bit too far don't you think".

Kaito didn't say anything in response, not that any words were needed. A quick glare did the job just as well, and with less effort, though the glances his parents threw in his sister's direction were equally as effective, causing her to quickly hide behind the couch, until a loud rumbling from her stomach broke the glares.

"Well I do suppose it's about time for me to start preparing dinner", Yukino sighed, deciding that it was no use crying over passed events.

"You are staying right?", she asked her son and now daughter-in-law.

"Only for dinner", came the answer.

"We've rented a small apartment a few kilometres from here", Kaito explained seeing his mother had raised her eyebrows again. Shaking her head, she left for the kitchen, Jiro following right behind her. No doubt there that they were going to be discussing the matter of their son while preparing dinner.

"So you're actually living together huh Kai-chan?", Ayano bounded over the couch, dropping herself comfortably into the soft cushions.

"Ayano, think for a moment. Emi's pregnant, we're married for crying out loud, and you still think it's funny that we're living together?", Kaito sighed, "and for the last time, don't call me that".

"But I like calling you that", she moped, "it's a cute name for my cute big brother".

"She does have a point you know", Emi grinned at her husband.

"Oh for the love of god, no", Kaito smacked his hand against his forehead, "not you too".

"Don't worry, I still prefer calling Kaito", Emi smiled as she moved closer and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Thanks", he grinned, leaning forward to kiss her.

Sensing his intent, she leaned forward, her lips meeting his. She didn't even notice him wrapping his arms around her in turn.

"Errrr, do you guys mind?", Ayano attempted to interrupt them, "I mean, seriously, get a room".

"Shut up Ayano", Kaito growled, not even bothering to stop kissing Emi for even a moment.

Noticing that her brother had no intention of stopping, she sighed and decided relocating herself to another room would be better for her sanity.

"How in the world can he be so intimate with a girl right in front of other people", she shuddered. She just couldn't visualise her doing something like that in front of anyone, not that she had any experience with it though. That was also another point that really got on her nerves. It didn't matter if he was twenty and she was only sixteen, she still hadn't had a boyfriend in her entire life and here he suddenly barges in after a year of thinking he was dead, married, soon-to-be father and everything.

"Why doesn't anyone want me", she muttered, kicking an imaginary rock out of the way as she stomped down the hallway.

It took her the entire trip to her room to eventually come to a conclusion. She was jealous of her brother that he had found someone as beautiful and perfect as Emi to love for the rest of his, well, existence. She was jealous of Emi too, because she was now married to her, HER brother.

"Why can't something like that happen to me", Ayano sighed as she dropped, defeated, onto her bed.

Meanwhile the couple downstairs had settled themselves onto the couch, Emi curled up on Kaito's lap.

"Don't worry, they'll understand eventually", Kaito reassured her. He could sense that Emi was a bit worried about his relationship with his parents.

"They both know that I'm not one to quit halfway through something. And as for Ayano, she might be a bit jealous, but she'll get over it".

This caused a faint smile to appear on her face.

"I'm glad to hear that", she whispered as she moved closer again.

Kaito couldn't help but grin as he saw Emi's attempt at seducing him to kiss her.

"She doesn't even need to try", he thought as he kissed her, "she's got me wrapped around her finger, and I don't even mind. Good thing the other guys from the academy aren't here to see this".

The two were so intoxicated with one another that they failed to notice the two smiling faces looking at them through the open kitchen door.

"Looks like we didn't have to worry after all", Yukino said to her husband, "they'll be just fine".

"Indeed", he replied, "now let's get back to cooking that dinner for tonight".

Dinner itself turned out to be a happy family event, with Ayano strategically trying to position herself between Kaito and Emi, only to have her mother steer her away from the couple, much to the amusement of all involved parties with the notable exception of Ayano.

"I suppose you'll be going to your apartment soon right?", Yukino asked as soon as everyone had finished eating and Jiro had started collecting the dishes.

"Well, we did rent a place to stay, but the problem is furniture. We were planning to go check out the place and buy ourselves some basic stuff afterwards. But you interrupted that planning mom".

"Well in that case I suggest that the two of you stay here for the night. We'll go find you some furniture first thing tomorrow morning".

"But where are we going to sleep?".

"Have you forgotten your old room Kaito? It's a bit dusty there, but I'll take care of that soon enough. I do suppose the bed will be a bit small for the both of you, not that I think you'll mind though".

This comment got the couple blushing. Mostly because of the truth hidden in that statement. They usually only used half of the bed at their house in Soul Society.

Sadly enough for them, Ayano noticed their blushes and stomped off muttering barely perceptible phrases, which was for the best, since quite a bit of the statements were pretty obscene.

All of this elicited another laugh from both of the parents who were getting back into full swing of teasing their children.

Later that evening, the Fujiwara family sat in the living room of the house, quietly watching the television. Well, at least part of the family was. Emi had initially been intrigued by the strange device, though she had soon shifted that interest to Kaito.

Much to Ayano's dismay, she had once again positioned herself in Kaito's lap and was now monopolizing his attention by initiating a serious make-out session with him.

His parents were quite successful in ignoring the couple and had started focussing wholly on the TV. Ayano however found herself somewhat fascinated and grossed out by the semi-public display of intimacy. Not to mention her jealousy meter was borderlining. Eventually, she decided she couldn't handle it anymore and snapped.

"Ok you two", she fumed, "upstairs, your room. I can't stand it anymore to see you so lovey dovey with each other, I mean, give the smooching a break for crying out loud. You've been snogging each other senseless practically from the moment mom and dad got off your backs".

"Ayano, behave", Yukino intervened. Kaito sighed in relief as he heard his mother stop his little sister's rant.

"But she does have a point though Kaito", she continued, making it clear that she too thought that they should take their intimacy somewhere else.

"Crap, I shouldn't have done that", Kaito thought, mentally berating himself for giving Murphy a chance to slip in his manipulative paws into the current situation.

"No problem, we'll just go upstairs", Emi grinned at Kaito.

She wasted no time, bouncing off his lap, grabbing his hand and pulling him up until he was standing right next to her, his hand clutched firmly in her grasp.

"Lead the way", she smiled suggestively.

"You know, the rest of the family is going to know exactly what we're going to do, you realise that right?", Kaito said as he and Emi reached the door of his bedroom. His mother had already swept through it with her vacuum cleaner, annihilating any dust she encountered.

"Yes, and?"

"Well, I didn't really think you'd be so, well, forward"

"Kaito, we're married, husband and wife, married couples don't have to be embarrassed because of things like that"

"True enough", he agreed, "not to mention the fact that I like you being so forward".

"Good", she smiled mischievously as she pulled him into his room.

"You know we'll have to be quiet right?", Kaito grinned as he followed her.

"Kaito, didn't you pay attention during the Hadō classes?", she retorted.

Not bothering to wait for an answer, she raised her hands, fingers slightly spread out as if receiving something, before she quickly inverted them and swiped her arms outwards.

"Hadō no. 32, Shinkirou"

"That takes care of that problem", she smiled, "I think it'll hold up long enough".

"I think the people from the Kidō Corps didn't have this in mind as a use for that particular spell", Kaito grinned.

"Well, you know why you love me", Emi winked suggestively before leading Kaito towards the bed.

Soon after their clothes were spread out all across the floor of the room. One thing was sure, the couple was glad for the spell that night.

The sun was already up in the sky when Ayano's antics woke them from their slumber.

"What do you mean I can't go in there to wake them up?", she shouted at her mother.

"It's almost noon for crying out loud. How long are they planning to sleep? Besides, weren't you going to get some furniture for them?"

"I don't know dear, but believe me that it's best to leave them be".

"Mom, I'm sixteen years old, and I'm not stupid. I know damn well what either went on, or is still going on in there".

Now Yukino too raised her voice in response to her rebellious daughter's shouting.

"Language young lady, and you're still too young to be thinking about things like that. Now just let them sleep".

Tired of hearing the mother-daughter spat going on, Kaito got up and walked to the door. The look on the faces of both Yukino and Ayano was quite funny though, and immediately brightened up his day a bit.

"Too late for letting us sleep mom, your fuss here woke us up".

Kaito really had to keep in his laughter, seeing Ayano's eyes almost bulge out as she her gaze shifted from Kaito to Emi, who was now sitting upright in the bed, her long hair draped over her shoulders with some rebellious strands hanging in front of her eyes.

"Good thing we put on our pyjamas before we went to sleep last night, would have been awkward if Ayano really had barged in as she was planning", Kaito mused.

"Wha, wha, ...", Ayano was at a loss for words. She had obviously been expecting to see anything but both her brother and his wife fully dressed in pyjamas getting up from a bed that hardly even looked slept in.

"Sorry to disappoint you sis", he whispered in her ear as he wished he had a camera on hand to capture the look on her face for all of eternity.

"She's too much fun to tease", he snickered.

Walking past her, he got to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up and into some fresh clothes.

He was halfway through brushing his teeth when Emi walked in. Though she seemed a bit disappointed when his only response was a raised eyebrow.

"Were you expecting a different reaction?", he asked her as soon as he finished.

"Well, something along the lines of your sister's expression this morning would be nice".

He could only laugh at that comment.

"Please, as you said yourself last night, we're a married couple. This kind of thing is natural right?".

"Good point", she agreed as she took off the pyjamas she'd borrowed from Ayano.

"Now how do I take a bath in this house?"

At that moment, Kaito swore he felt a sweatdrop roll off his forehead.

"So what took you so long to get ready?", Ayano asked with a satisfied smirk on her face as she watched Kaito and Emi enter the living room, as if she was making an unspoken statement.

"I was just showing Emi how to use some of the things in the house. They don't have the same technology in Soul Society you know".

"Right, so says the groom"

Kaito had to bite back a growl at that statement. Mostly because her statement was halfway correct. He had been showing her how to use the bath among other things, but it was also true that they had deviated a bit from that course as well.

Emi giggled slightly as she watched the two siblings bickering. It looked like Ayano was getting revenge for earlier that morning, and on the contrary to then, this time, she did have a point.

"Oh my, if that isn't a scary expression on your face Kai-chan", she giggled, pretending to be scared.

"So do you really want me to tell Emi some of your childhood stories?", Kaito growled.

"Hey, that's not fair", Ayano suddenly panicked.

"Never said I'd play fair Ayano the ...".

Kaito didn't make it quite further though. In order to prevent him from spilling any more of her secrets, Ayano had tackled him onto the couch and was now struggling to keep him pinned on the cushions. Her efforts proved to be futile though. She was quickly floating in the air, only supported by Kaito's hands as he raised her effortlessly into the air.

"EEEEK, put me down you idiot", she yelped before she was gently put down onto the couch.

"No fair, you're way too strong Kai-chan".

"Well, I am the third strongest person in my division".

"Third seat Fujiwara Kaito, master over air and lightning, at your service", he mock-bowed in front of his sister, causing his sister to grow irritated again, especially because Emi had been unable to suppress a chuckle at Kaito's overacted bow.

"Ack, both of you are just the same", Ayano muttered before she attempted to start a glaring contest with Kaito, who pointedly ignored her attempts.

After having eaten dinner with the rest of the family, Yukino took her son and daughter-in-law off to the shopping district to get them a pair of futons, a foldable table and some necessities they might need at their new apartment.

"Thanks for accompanying us mom", Kaito said as he carried the boxes into the flat.

"You're welcome Kaito. It's the least I could do. Now I know that you're probably going to be busy with things, but please do stop by for dinner if you ever find the time".

"We will mom, I promise", Kaito smiled as he watched his mother turn around towards the car.

True to his promise, Kaito made sure he and Emi visited whenever they found some time in between exterminating hollows, general housekeeping activities and simply being together.

Soon enough, time begun to pass at its normal pace, meaning way too fast for anyone to appreciate it. Spring had passed and shifted into summer, the occasional cricket breaking the semi-silence of the city.

Kaito stirred as, once again, the sun decided to wake him by sending some light straight onto his face. Raising himself onto one arm, he looked at the sleeping form of Emi lying next to him. Over the past few months, a noticeable bulge had formed on her belly, indicating the safe growth of the child.

Asuka Taichō had come over every now and then in order to check up on the health of both mother and child, even though it was mostly unnecessary. The morning sickness had passed quickly, and there wasn't too big of a change in eating habits. The only behavioural change Kaito detected was his wife being more forward. Something he didn't really mind, even though they had slowed down to cuddling most of the time.

Stroking his wife's growing belly, he thought back at the past few months. Visits to his parents had picked up a bit, with Emi staying with Yukino for longer periods every time, no doubt trying to pick up some advice on how to raise a child. She had also stopped going on hollow hunts as they had started to call them. She said that she didn't want to risk an injury, especially their unborn child inside of her. With her movements restricted a bit, she realised that the chance of that happening rose exponentially.

So she stayed at his parent's place, where she could talk with either Jiro or Yukino, and if no one else was present, Ayano, who was, as Kaito had said, incredibly fun to tease.

He was shaken from his thoughts though, when suddenly a hell butterfly flew in through the open window.

Allowing it to land on his finger, he quickly received the message in his mind.

Softly, he shook Emi awake.

"Hrnnn", she groaned as she attempted to open her eyes, sleep still hanging around in her mind as wisps of fog.

"What's the matter Kaito?"

"Message from your father hun", he smiled, giving the butterfly a small nudge to make it fly to Emi.

He watched amusedly as she raised herself to allow it to land on her finger, only to slump down on the futon again with a happy smile on her face.

"We're going back", she grinned at Kaito.

"Yes we are".


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: Just in time for the new year (at least where I live ^^).

I'll be trying to release the new chapters a bit more quickly, but I can't promise anything. But you can be sure that this story will be finished.

For now, Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"Do you really have to go back already?", Ayano whined as Kaito and Emi stood in the middle of the living room of his parent's house.

"You do realise we've been around for about half a year right? Isn't that long enough?", Kaito smiled as he patted his little sister on the head.

"It's only been half a year, that's way too short".

"Don't worry, I promise we'll come over the next time we've got some time off. By then you'll probably see your nephew or niece".

Hearing this, Ayano grinned broadly, much to the other's amusement.

"We'll be off then", Kaito finally smiled after having said goodbye to his parents.

Their bodies slumped down and vanished, compacting themselves into a small black ball before turning invisible.

"Those must be the gigai they were talking about", Yukino smiled as she shielded her eyes from the bright light that had suddenly appeared in the living room.

"And that's the gateway to Soul Society", Jiro said in response, "too bad we probably won't see it until we die".

"It's not that bad honey, there's plenty to see in the real world. And besides, I don't really care, I just know my son is still alive, well sort of. That's a lot better compared to a year ago when he died".

"It still is a strange thing, to know he's dead, but also alive", Ayano smiled as the glow slowly died down, leaving them standing in the dining room, no trace of either Emi and Kaito.

They had been walking for a little while until finally, they caught the first glimpse of the exit on the other side. Unable to contain the joy at finally being reunited with her family, Emi hurried towards the Senkai gate, dragging Kaito along.

Running as fast as her pregnant state allowed, she ran forward until she almost burst through the gate. What awaited her was the familiar sight of the Shimizu estate gardens.

"Welcome home dear", she suddenly heard a familiar voice speak. Her eyes quickly tore themselves away from the sight of the garden to focus themselves on the person in question.

"We're home dad", she answered just as Kaito stumbled through the Senkai gate. She hadn't even noticed she'd let go of his hand a couple of meters before she had reached the doorway, the sudden lack of propulsion and support had left him dangerously out of balance.

"Damn", he thought, "not exactly the most graceful way to arrive in front of your father-in-law and a Taichō".

He quickly made himself stand upright as Yuuji's gaze shifted away from Emi, and over to him.

"And of course, welcome home Kaito", Yuuji smiled in a way that caused Kaito to feel a slight warmth flow through him as he realised that he had a place to come home to in Soul Society as well.

"We're back", he answered, a sincere smile spreading across his face in response to Yuuji's kindness.

"Well, I know this family reunion is touching", another familiar voice suddenly coughed from behind the couple, "but I think I'll need to borrow my officers so I can give them a proper debriefing, not to mention have Asuka do another check-up on Emi, she's been nagging at me for a week now".

"Looks like Hayase Fukutaichō has been rubbing off on you Taichō", Emi grinned as she turned to greet her superior, Kaito mirroring the gesture, though he couldn't quite suppress a small chuckle that she hoped was too soft for Shinji to hear.

"Yes, well I suppose I owe her for agreeing to marry me".

"That reminds me, that was about six months ago, when are you going to get married?", Kaito noticed.

"As a matter of fact, we were waiting for you to come back. It wouldn't do to have a wedding without my best man now would it?".

Hearing this, Kaito looked stunned for exactly two seconds.

"True enough", he grinned, "but I must say that it's typically you to do something like that. I wouldn't have waited to marry Emi".

"As a matter of fact, you didn't", Yuuji chuckled, "it was sheer luck that Yoshikune Taichō was there to be your best man".

"I would have waited a bit", Kaito retorted, though he sounded a bit unsure.

"Give it up Kaito, we both know that isn't true", Emi smiled as she grabbed his hand and leaned against him.

"And just in case you would have waited, I wouldn't have done the same thing".

At this, all four people present burst out into laughter, until Shinji finally managed to regain some control over himself.

"Alright, I know you're happy to see your father again Emi-chan, but we really need to get back to the division headquarters. Otherwise I'll be having another Mitsuki style scolding".

Hearing his comment, both Kaito and Emi started laughing again, already forming a picture of that particular situation in their heads.

"We really ought to get going then", Kaito said as he was finally able to regain his composure, "we wouldn't want to keep your fiancé waiting now would we?".

"Heh", Shinji grinned back at Kaito, "you'd probably do it just to see her scolding me, not to mention the fact that you'd probably take pictures so you can blackmail me later".

"True, true", Kaito smirked.

After having saying goodbye too Yuuji and promising him that they'd come over after they'd had their official debriefing, Kaito and Emi followed their Taichō to the division headquarters.

It didn't take long for their presence to be noted by their fellow division members. Most notably a somewhat recently demoted tenth seat who quickly hurried away after catching a glimpse of the couple, not wanting to risk incurring Kaito's wrath again.

Most of their subordinates bowed politely though, most even welcoming them back, with only a few of the greetings having been spurned from forced politeness. Most of these greeting belonged to the small group of narrow-minded officers that had opposed Emi and Kaito's assignment as the new fourth and third seat of the division. Even now, after six months, they retained their semi-hostile attitude but failed to act on it. This caused Kaito to actually have grow some respect for the former fifth seat Hiroshi, though it still wasn't much.

The debriefing itself was actually just an excuse devised by Shinji to allow them to put their heads together in order to come up with a plausible story for the defeat of the supposed rogue shinigami they had been said to hunt in the outskirts of Rukongai. Eventually they had decided that they should tell the others that they had encountered the shinigami, but had not been able to defeat him during that particular fight. After having chased him for several more months, they had been forced to give up the chase because of Emi's progressing pregnancy and the risks it brought along.

This enabled them to use that same mission as an excuse the next time they needed to disappear for a while. It would be quite plausible to send people that actually had some combat experience with the man back on a second mission.

"Now I know you guys want to tell your friends that the mission was in fact a hoax", Shinji warned them, "but we still don't know exactly who or what is targeting the Gotei 13, and since you have proven yourselves to be prime targets of that specific organisation, I do not want any possible means of escape to be compromised. So I'll be expecting you to stick to the story we just made up here".

Kaito and Emi couldn't help but agree. There definitely was some sound logic in Shinji's explanation. Even though it pained them to be keeping secrets from their friends, they understood the necessity of the secrecy. If the leak still hadn't been found, there was no knowing how far the mysterious organisation's reach actually went.

"Now, since we're done here", Shinji continued, "I believe your father asked for you to go visit him after our small conversation. I suggest you don't make him wait, though I might stop by later in the evening".

Thanking their superior for his assistance, Kaito and Emi turned to leave his office.

"Oh", Shinji called after they had stepped out of his office, "I'll have a training schedule for the both of you lying here on my desk tomorrow, so don't forget to pick it up".

"Thank you Taichō", the couple replied in unison, before continuing their walk out of the headquarters.

The fact that they encountered Mitsuki on her way to Shinji's office simply made things more amusing, and Kaito was unable to wipe the grin off his face until they had long left the division grounds. The fact that this earned him a lot of strange looks from fellow division members was simply ignored.

The guards at the gate to the Shimizu estate smiled as they saw the couple walking down the road, Ebisu quickly tapping a small panel behind him.

It didn't take long for the signal to be received inside the house. Soon enough, Reiko had come sprinting through the gate, right at the moment Kaito and Emi arrived. She had heard about their return from her husband, but had been told they had a debriefing with their superior, though they had promised to come over afterwards. Leaving nothing to chance, Reiko had told Ebisu to alert her when her daughter and son-in-law arrived.

The fact that they had only just reached the gate when she arrived simply made her smile. She quickly enveloped Kaito in a bone-crushing hug, before moving on to Emi, being a bit more careful with hugging her, the growing belly of her daughter indicating how far she was with her pregnancy. So far, her daughter didn't seem to have that much trouble with the increase in weight, though that might change soon enough.

"Hi mom", Emi managed to say as she was caught in the hug. Kaito, who was still recovering from the sudden assault his lungs had to endure, simply waved his hello to both his mother in law and the two guards, both who were wearing identical smiles on their faces.

"Oh, it's been so long since I've seen the two of you, you've changed so much", Reiko finally spoke after having released Emi from her grip, standing back a bit so that she could better examine her children.

It didn't take Kaito long to realise that both Reiko and his mother had quite a bit in common. They both tended to fuss over the slightest details, and considered any time span of over two days to be equal to a year. Not to mention their apparent habit of going over their children after such a period of time, as if looking for anything out of the ordinary. Their almost possessive behaviour was also practically the same.

Emi's shrug at Kaito made it clear that this was typical Reiko behaviour, so he had no choice but to endure it.

After a significant period of being fussed over, Reiko finally guided them into the estate. It still looked as impressive as ever to Kaito, of course, the fact that he'd only been there a handful of times before might have contributed to that. After following her through a handful of corridors that still managed to take away his sense of direction, they finally reached a reasonable large room. What awaited Kaito and Emi there would be considered one of the most pleasant surprises in their entire history of being together in Soul Society.

In front of them, seated randomly across the room, was the entire class from their time at the academy. With in the centre, Miharu, Midorikawa, Momiji, Saruwatari and Sakamoto.

"So, how've you been?", Saruwatari asked, right before Miharu almost literally bounced towards Kaito and Emi, ready to give them another crushing hug. Not willing to risk Emi with Miharu's uncontrollable energy, he valiantly placed himself between her and his wife. The resulting crash caused quite the funny sight, as Miharu had literally smashed into Kaito, who had braced himself for the impact. Momiji even winced as Miharu comically slid downwards towards the floor, before jumping back on her feet, seemingly unharmed by the collision. She didn't waste time to initiate another hug, though she was a bit more careful this time.

Witnessing Miharu's typical reaction after six months of separation caused Kaito and Emi to smile widely, even as Midorikawa used a variation on a binding spell to forcibly drag Miharu back to his side, who, naturally, loudly protested against his actions.

Deciding to ignore their excitable friend's antics, the couple quickly went across the room, saying hello to everyone before finally settling down near their friends.

"So, how was the hunt for that rogue shinigami", Momiji asked almost as soon as they had settled in and had been given some drinks from a few of the servants that were on duty, Emi decidedly choosing something non-alcoholic, Kaito following her example. He had a strong suspicion that Sakamoto had something to do with the liquor that was being passed around, recalling his last experience with the stuff, he decided that he didn't want another one.

"Could've been better", he replied to his friend's question. They had decided beforehand that he would do all of the storytelling, since he supposedly was the one with more battle experience against their foe. This also helped prevent them from giving out contradicting information.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after an initial scuffle, he decided that running away was a better course of action".

Seeing a look of interest on the faces of practically everyone present, with the notable exception of Sakamoto, who looked halfway bored. Kaito saw no other alternative but to recount the entire story of their six month assignment, which actually consisted of making up a story on the spot, something he'd become quite good at though, having lived for almost his entire life with his sister in the room next to his.

Mentally, he smirked a bit, seeing the captivated expressions all around. It appeared that he hadn't lost his touch, even after a period of relative inactivity. Deciding to ham it up a bit, he began to push his storytelling to its limits.

What first seemed as a simple recounting of mission facts, quickly turned out to be a tale of adventure, tragedy, heroism, etc ... that took up the entire evening, even though Kaito doubted that he'd need more than two hands to count the number of people actively listening to his story. Nevertheless, he was enjoying himself immensely, it was just fun to find himself amongst his friends again, after six months. He had to admit, living semi-alone in an apartment with Emi was fun, but he had practically the same thing here in Soul Society, he was already living alone with Emi and being around friends simply made it more enjoyable.

What made telling his story even more enjoyable was that somewhere during the evening, both Yuuji and Shinji had snuck in together with their respective love interests, careful not to disturb his act. The irony of having two of the small group of people that knew that he was actually telling nothing but a well made up story wasn't lost on him and he struggled in keeping his face in his acting expression.

The sheer humour of the situation was only amplified by the applause the two taichō gave when he had finally finished his tale making his internal struggle even harder. A quick prod in Emi's side stopped her short from bursting out in laughter. Even so, the constant stream of chuckles and snickers she was producing made her look a bit suspicious, not that most of the people present would notice. In other words, Sakamoto had struck again.

Kaito looked around the room, content. It felt incredibly nice to be back in Soul Society. True, he did miss his parents, but it was something different. He was an adult now, he'd long since left the house. Right now, his life was here, as an officer of the Gotei 13.

Feeling Emi lean back against him, he looked down into her eyes.

"Feels good to be back again huh?", she whispered softly.

"Yeah, it does. It's good to be home again", came his equally soft response.

Leaning down, he gently kissed her on her lips, ignoring the sudden catcalls and Sakamoto's muttered comment of 'get a room'.

A sudden crash interrupted their moment. Startled, everyone in the room shot upright, wondering what the disturbance was. Yuuji and Shinji were instantly on high alert. Anyone that could enter the Shimizu estate either unnoticed or by force could be considered a dangerous opponent for most present in the house. Kaito sprung upright immediately, unconsciously moving himself between Emi and the source of the sound.

It soon became clear that whatever had entered the estate was headed towards the very room they were in since the shouts of people calling stop combined with the occasional crash were steadily coming closer.

Meanwhile, the rest of the seven prodigies had joined Kaito and had formed a barrier between Emi and the door, all of them having their hands on their zanpakutō, ready to draw them at a moment's notice.

They didn't have to wait long. Soon enough it became evident who the intruder was, at least to Yuuji, who had begun frowning the second the reiatsu of the intruder was close enough to identify. Moments later, Shinji and Mitsuki had an identical frown on their faces as they too recognised the owner of the reiatsu.

Yuuji didn't get the chance to share his news though. A resounding crack echoed through the room before the door was blasted apart in a cloud of wooden splinters, causing the inhabitants to shield themselves from the onslaught of wood that was now barraging them.

Slowly, the remnants of smoke cleared and a lone figure could be seen standing in the doorway, sword drawn.

"Hayashi Toru, what in the world are you doing?", Shinji asked sternly.

"Yoshikune-san", Yuuji stopped him, "he's my fukutaichō, that means he's my responsibility".

Hearing the man being identified as the former 'near-fiancé' of Emi, Kaito instantly tightened his grip on his sword's handle.

"Now, please explain this disturbance", Yuuji continued.

"I'd rather have you explain something to me 'Taichō-san' ", Toru said.

"Watch your language young man. You're already in trouble as it is, using such a disrespectful tone against your direct superior will only make it worse".

"Doesn't really matter though, not with what I'm about to do that is".

Hearing his fukutaichō explain, Yuuji immediately drew his sword, unwilling to risk anyone inside the room. He was too late though.

The words had barely even left Toru's mouth before he found himself being smashed into the wall opposite to the doorway by Kaito's elbow, cracking several of the wooden planks in the hallway.

Kaito had instantly heard the malice in the rogue shinigami's voice and had come to the conclusion that he still wasn't over his jealousy he had apparently displayed when hearing about Kaito and Emi's marriage.

Not wanting to risk any bystanders, he quickly dragged a still dazed Toru along the wall until he had reached an exit to the garden. Knowing his opponent was a fukutaichō, he knew that Toru would snap out of his momentary daze quite quickly. Deciding not to waste any time, he smashed him through the panels separating the interior from the outside air, before finally letting go of Toru, causing him to sail in a graceful arc through the garden.

Yuuji, Shinji and the others had meanwhile run out of the room to follow Kaito and, if necessary, lend a hand. The only thing they saw was Toru crashing into a tree standing near the edge of the garden.

Kaito followed. Landing outside, intending to quickly take out Toru. He didn't get the chance though. Toru had already crawled up and drawn his sword. Now he stood upright in a combat position, ready to face his opponent.

"I assume you're the Fujiwara brat", he spat.

"So what if I am".

"Great, one of my targets willingly attacks me, now I can use this as legal self defence.

Kaito frowned, the man had clearly lost it. He'd already entered private property and had made it quite clear that he would attack. Not to mention the fact that he'd done so right in front of two taichō, including his own superior.

"After I'm finished with you, I'll kill the rest of the scum in there, and then I can take my time with what should have been rightfully mine, after I cut out the infection of course".

Kaito froze, he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He didn't even realise it when he drew his sword. Anger had suddenly come crashing down on him, or rather, he was now alight with a fury that had previously not been known to him. He knew that he got quite angry, even to the point of terrifying people, when they even insinuated harming Emi, but he had never felt like this. It couldn't be described as hate anymore. Instantly, he knew that this fight wouldn't be over until one of them was lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Not that he was planning to let that happen, no, if he was done with that guy, he'd make sure they would have to use tweezers to pick up the pieces.

Unconsciously, his reiatsu flared brightly, so much that it had already begun distorting the atmosphere around him. Resembling a predator stalking its prey, Kaito started to circle Toru, making sure that there was no one in the way of the fight.

"Heh, so you think you're powerful eh?", Toru sneered, "well then let's see how you handle this".

Switching his sword into a backhanded grip, he dragged the blade over the sheath.

"Ensnare him, **Kuromizuhiki**".

Instantly, the sword morphed into a glove fitting snugly around his hand, a faint glimmer appearing in the air around him.

His grin faltered a bit when he noticed Kaito's expression hadn't changed, but soon enough it was back in full force. Twitching his fingers slightly, he launched his attack.

Kaito jumped aside just as the attack came tearing through the yard, leaving nothing but deep cuts in its wake. The trees that had been standing behind him suffering a similar fate.

Toru laughed.

"I must congratulate you on dodging that attack, though you probably never even saw it coming, you must've reacted to the slight movement of my hand, nevertheless, you didn't dodge it completely".

"A cut like this is nothing", Kaito said as he ignored the small cut that had appeared on his left shoulder.

"Besides, to me, your attack is more than visible", he continued, "your weapon is that glove, which has a thin strand attached to each fingertip. It's quite obvious you know".

Growling madly, Toru again launched an attack. Kaito watched calmly as he saw five separate strands sail through the air. As opposed to the previous attack, this time Toru had made sure that the strands didn't touch anything while they bridged the gap between the two combatants.

He couldn't help but grin as he used shunpō at the very last moment to dodge the attack, which again gave the gardeners something to worry about.

"How", Toru steamed as he watched his second attack miss.

"Didn't I tell you?", Kaito replied as he reappeared behind Toru, "I can see your attacks".

Kaito struck, his sword creating a whistling sound as it cleaved through the air. Toru reacted on instinct, moving his gloved hand in between his body and Kaito's zanpakutō.

The resulting clash sent a shower of sparks into the air.

"So you do deserve the title of fukutaichō", Kaito remarked calmly as he engaged in a power struggle with Toru, each trying to push the other back with their respective weapons.

"Fool", Toru shouted as he moved his fingers again, "your weapon is occupied, but I only need my fingers to attack".

Noticing the strands settling themselves around his body, Kaito broke away, again using shunpō to move out of the way, just before the trap closed.

Kaito growled in irritation before he threw himself at Toru again. Showers of sparks soon began erupting all over the garden as the two combatants began clashing with increasing frequency.

Shinji whistled as he witnessed Kaito weave through the intricate pattern that Toru's shikai had formed in mid-air.

"Care to make a bet?", he casually asked Sakamoto, who was standing next to him together with the rest of the group.

"No use in doing that", he responded casually, "and it's no use trying to make a bet with anyone else here. Kaito's everyone's favourite in this fight, and besides, with that look on his face, I'd say his opponent doesn't stand a chance. I hope he's made his will".

"Alright", Toru fumed as Kaito kept dodging attack after attack, "You've asked for it".

"Bankai".

The second Toru released his sword for the second time, Yuuji and Shinji had begun to move. The fight had begun to go out of control at that point. What surprised them, was Kaito moving in front of them, his back turned towards his superiors.

"Please, leave this to me", he asked, keeping a wary eye on the cloud of smoke that had gathered around his opponent.

"Are you sure Kaito?", Yuuji asked. He'd seen Toru's bankai before, and while it was immature and somewhat incomplete, it still held a lot of power.

"I'm sure", Kaito answered calmly. He knew the fight would be over within moments if he let the two taichō behind him take care of it. But he felt that would be almost the same as giving up, something he had vowed he would never do when he was protecting Emi.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Yuuji turned around to see Shinji standing there. Nodding in acknowledgement, both the taichō moved back to the group of people still standing near the gaping hole the fight had left in the door.

"Don't worry Emi", Shinji smiled as he saw Emi standing there, hand firmly clasped together, "He'll be fine".

Just at that moment, a wave of reiatsu came crashing down over them. Toru had finished releasing his bankai.

Kaito watched with mild interest as the smoke slowly cleared bit by bit. His eyes widened when he finally got a full view of his opponent.

Where there once had been a glove with a thin strand attached to each finger, there now was a single wire, or rather, cable. The glove had disappeared completely, the end of the cable completely covering Toru's lower arm. It was however, the size of the cable that worried him. He'd heard stories about bankai being extremely powerful, but also extremely large in order to maintain that power. It was said that after a shinigami achieved bankai, he would need at least another ten years of training to fully master the complex movements behind it.

The cable was easily twice the width of Toru's arm and laid at his feet, curling around his body several times in wide arcs. He estimated it was at least twenty meters in length, though he knew things such as length could chance in a moment's notice.

"Thank God the garden is so large", Kaito said to himself as he estimated the distance between Toru and the mansion. It was enough, just as long as he made sure he lured his opponent away from the bystanders. Not that it would prove to be a problem, with Toru in the psychotic state he was in at the moment.

Kaito was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed a faint shadow suddenly appear on the ground. Instinctively throwing his body to his right, Kaito felt something big move past his body. His brain instantly recognised the object, Toru's zanpakutō. With a loud crash, the cable smashed into the ground, its sheer weight causing it to sink several inches into the soft earth.

"Damn he's fast with that thing", Kaito muttered before ducking to avoid the cable again as it snapped towards him with surprising speed. The crash behind him indicating that it had felled a few trees.

"Why can't I hit you", Toru shouted as he pulled back his zanpakutō for another attack.

Kaito didn't answer. His mind too focused on dodging the massive cable as it came flying towards him. It was surprisingly flexible, whipping this way and that, destroying the environment whenever it was in the way. This easily convinced Kaito that is was not a good idea to get hit even once by his opponent.

Finally, Toru stopped attacking, still fuming because of his inability to hit Kaito. He was too caught up with his own madness to notice that Kaito had not even launched a single attack. He had been too busy dodging to do anything else.

Kaito looked straight in Toru's eyes as he settled down after having been forced to dodge attacks for at least five minutes straight. Small sparks were already beginning to run down his entire body from irritation.

"Thanks", Kaito grinned as he grabbed the sheath of his sword. Placing one end on the earth, he raised his zanpakutō.

"Scorch the heavens. Slash the sky", came the release phrase for his sword.

Instantly, lightning flashed around Kaito, the blast clearly more controlled than before. As the light faded from the garden, Kaito stood there, his zanpakutō firmly gripped in his hands.

"Hyakuenrai", Kaito said, right before he released his full power into the atmosphere. The distinct smell of ozone filled the air as stray sparks shot off him. Most of them were contained to his body though, arcing all over him. The wind added to the pure force of the reiatsu radiating off of his body.

"Holy, ...", Yuuji muttered, a perplexed look on his face. Shinji couldn't help but agree. The release itself was a lot less impressive than before in terms of being a flashy show, but the amount of reiatsu currently radiating off Kaito was incredible. It was stronger than even Toru's with his bankai released. It was so powerful that it was literally influencing the atmosphere around Kaito without a conscious thought.

Toru on the other hand was completely oblivious to the power coming from Kaito. He was cackling madly as he prepared to attack again, his earlier frustration completely forgotten.

"You think releasing your zanpakutō will make any difference concerning the outcome of this battle? You're a mere third seat, what could you possibly do against a fukutaichō that has a power equivalent to that of a taichō", he laughed.

"For your information, it won't change the outcome of this battle", Kaito whispered.

Toru froze, the voice had come from right behind him. There was no one in front of him anymore.

"You bastard!", Toru shouted as he turned around, whipping out his free arm in the process. He hit nothing but air.

"You have no hopes of defeating me, with that kind of speed", Kaito said.

Toru's head whipped around towards the source of the sound. There he was, standing no more than ten meters away from him.

"Damn you, I'll kill you", he yelled, raising his arm.

"With what if I may ask?", Kaito replied calmly.

Confused by his opponent's words, Toru finally noticed the slight difference in weight on his arm. There, in front of him, laid his bankai, completely severed from the small stump that remained on his arm.

"How ...", was the only word he could speak, confusion and disbelief overtaking him.

"Simple actually, when two separate entities of reiatsu collide, the weakest will receive damage", Kaito replied before bringing his two swords together, raising them to chest-level.

Feeling the sudden surge in reiatsu, Toru swallowed

"It can't be, you have also achieved bankai?".

"No", Kaito replied, "far from it. This is simply another form of my shikai".

Lightning flashed again. Leaving everyone temporarily blinded.

When they opened their eyes again, the chains attaching Kaito's swords had vanished. His two swords had disappeared too. In their place was now a single zanpakutō, two blades coming out of the hilt, sparks violently arcing in between them.

"What the hell is that", Toru breathed.

"This is simply one of the three forms that my zanpakutō can have", Kaito explained.

"My sword is both a lightning and wind elemental. In its normal form I can use both of the elements, but I can also focus the power into a single element, boosting its power. Just so you know, this form focuses on lightning".

With that, Kaito vanished.

Toru's eyes widened as a trail of dust came racing towards him. Not even succeeding in raising the stump that remained of his zanpakutō, he was flung violently backwards, crashing into a rock.

Kaito didn't waste any time. By the time Toru had slammed into the rock, Kaito was already standing over him. In a flash, the two swords separated back into their original forms.

There wasn't even a hint of emotion as he flipped them into a backwards grip and drove them down into Toru's chest.


	18. Chapter 17

A/N: Surprise!!!!

I know, it's the first chapter of the year, on the first day of the year, and that only a day after the previous chapter.

I simply had a visit from the muse and had to write. I don't know how long she'll be hanging around though, but I'll try to trick her into staying with some milk and cookies.

In any case, Enjoy

(oh, and if you could, please review ^^)

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Stunned, Shinji and Yuuji watched as Kaito slowly withdrew his blades from Toru's chest before turning his back on the fallen fukutaichō. Almost casually sealing his zanpakutō, flicking the blood off of the blade and returning it to its sheath.

"He's not dead", Kaito answered their silent question as he approached his friends and family, "I merely destroyed his Hakusui Soul Sleep and the Saketsu Chain link. He'll live if treated within half an hour, but he'll never be a shinigami again".

"Good", Yuuji growled, "those vultures in room 44 will be happy to have another shinigami to pick apart".

Yuuji had never been a big fan of room 44, the governing instrument that even the Sotaichō had to obey. This was mostly because they had put up the biggest opposition to getting the Shimizu clan to join the ranks of the higher clans. They'd even gone as far as to accuse him of plotting a rebellion against the upper echelons, but they'd been forced to drop the charges in light of insufficient evidence. Not that it had any effect on his career in general, it just annoyed the hell out of him when people made false accusations.

He hated them for being incredibly stubborn and conservative, but when they were right their punishments were quite suitable for the offenders in question.

He was also glad that Kaito had been able to refrain himself from killing Toru. Room 44 would have his hide if he'd taken away a new plaything of theirs. As it was now, he was quite safely out of their reach while still having dealt with the problem in a decisive manner.

"Go and take Emi home Kaito", Yuuji said, placing his hand on Kaito's shoulder just as he passed his father-in-law, "you've had enough excitement for the day".

Nodding in agreement, Kaito held out his hand to Emi who, after saying goodbye to her parents, placed her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

Not a word was spoken as they took off towards their house. Glancing sideways at Kaito, Emi sighed inwardly. It was hard for her to see Kaito like this. She knew he was having a bit of problems with his thoughts. She wanted to help, but at the same time she realised that while he would appreciate the help, he needed to work out his problems on his own. Unless people were confronted with their personal demons, they'd never get over it. She knew that from experience.

Shinji sighed deeply as he watched a squad from the fourth division tend to the fallen fukutaichō, thanking the gods that he hadn't been killed by his enraged third seat. Nevertheless, the show that Kaito had put up had been more than impressive. Even counting the fact that Toru had been inexperienced in wielding his bankai, to defeat one with simply a shikai was almost unheard of. He didn't doubt that he or any of the other taichō would've be able to defeat Toru while in shikai, but for a third seat to do so. It was simply unbelievable. Not only that, the sheer amount of reiatsu he had been radiating when he had released his zanpakutō was staggering. It was just as high as his own when he released his zanpakutō.

Noticing the frown on Shinji's face, Yuuji broke off the conversation he had been having with Tetsuo, who had come to investigate the disturbance.

"What's wrong Shinji", Tetsuo asked his friend, "something bothering you?".

"As a matter of fact, it's not really bothering me, I'm just thinking whether or not the course of action I'm about to follow is the correct one".

"What do you mean?", Yuuji asked, wondering exactly what Shinji was thinking about. There was no doubt that it was something concerning Kaito, but what exactly was still unclear.

"I had planned for Kaito and Emi to be trained by myself, Tetsuo, Fukuda Taichō or Fukazawa Taichō. But now I'm thinking it might be best to take a somewhat different course of action".

"What do you mean Shinji?", Tetsuo asked. He'd agreed on teaching Kaito, for as much as it was necessary.

"I'm saying that while Emi will continue the normal training schedule I've put together, I'm thinking of having Kaito follow something different. Do you remember your time together with Fukuda Taichō?".

Tetsuo shuddered involuntarily at the memory that was forcibly brought to the surface, just before he straightened up, eyes wide.

"You don't mean?", he exclaimed.

"That's exactly what I mean. I think it's time for Kaito to begin his training to achieve bankai".

"But only fukutaichō are authorised to have bankai training with one of the taichō", Yuuji interrupted.

"Well, I thought you would be needing one, seeing that your former fukutaichō is in that sorry state right now", Shinji casually pointed to the still form of Toru, still lying on the same rock Kaito had slammed him into.

"I see your point", Yuuji nodded. He could agree with the idea. He was lacking a fukutaichō right now, and to have Kaito take that place would not be a problem. He had in fact already filled the prerequisites for being granted a promotion to fukutaichō. He had defeated the former officer in a one on one battle with the division taichō witnessing the fight. Normally, one would need another thirty or forty members of the same division watching too, but he figured that the presence of Shinji as another taichō would more than make up that small problem.

"I'll report the situation to the Sotaichō immediately", Yuuji smiled before turning around and using shunpō.

Tetsuo grinned as he looked at Shinji.

"You still know how to get things done your way", he chuckled.

"Nah, I've just had a bit of luck with how everything turned out", Shinji grinned, "I actually hadn't expected Kaito to demonstrate such growth. I suspect he's been training while out on his expedition to the real world".

"Well then", Tetsuo returned Shinji's grin.

"I'd better go inform Fukuda Taichō that he's going to get a new student soon. I almost pity Kaito".

"I seriously doubt he'll have any complaints about it. He's been waiting for a chance to fight Kaito, and while I know training with him is not entirely without risk, it is the most efficient way to get some people to achieve bankai".

Tetsuo couldn't help but agree. His own training period with Naoki had been extremely scary at times, but he had no doubt that it had helped his training enormously. He estimated he'd have spent around five times the amount of time on achieving his bankai had he done it the traditional way. The major drawback with having Naoki help with bankai training was the enormous risk involved. Naoki always balanced precariously on the edge between controlled bloodlust and a battle frenzy that bordered on the insane.

"Don't worry Tetsuo", Shinji reassured his friend, "I'm sure Fukazawa Taichō will be there to keep her husband in line.

Tetsuo chuckled again as the word 'whipped' shot through his mind. It was almost comical at times to see the infamous leader of the eleventh division cower before the wrath of his wife.

"Well, since that takes care of most of my worries, I'd better be off then", Tetsuo smiled.

Shinji kept smiling until his friend had moved out of sight. Only then did he let another frown indicate his troubled state of mind. Things were beginning to move at an accelerated pace, more so then he had ever anticipated. To make matters worse, his contacts were either giving him some very disturbing information about the mysterious organisation that had apparently targeted Soul Society, or they were falling completely silent. Given the abilities most of his contacts possessed, the fact that they were being taken out was disturbing to say the least, especially given the rate at which it was happening. Their enemies were planning something, and whatever it was, it was both big, and they didn't want anyone watching it.

He shook his head after nodding to the fourth division medics who had begun moving Toru's body after making sure his vitals were stable.

It was just so much coming together right now, he really needed some relaxation.

Another smile came over his face as he thought of his house, and the relaxation Mitsuki would probably be able to provide for him.

It took the entire trip back to their house for Kaito to finally work through his thoughts and speak again.

"I don't know what came over me there", he confessed as he opened the door to their house.

"What do you mean Kaito?", Emi asked, wondering what he meant with that statement.

"You probably felt the reiatsu out there as I was fighting", Kaito sighed as he leaned against the wall in the living room, slowly letting himself slide downwards.

"It wasn't what I normally feel whenever I fight. I had a bad feeling about that guy the moment he broke through that door. But when he threatened you, I just snapped. Everything that happened afterwards is a bit like a blur, but it still concerns me".

"Why Kaito? It's normal to feel angry whenever someone threatens people precious to you".

"Not in this way Emi", Kaito shook his head, "I had to hold myself back from killing him. At first, I had planned to tear him to pieces, literally. And I think that if Yoshikune Taichō and your father hadn't tried to step in when they did, I would have killed Toru. It wasn't just anger anymore, it was rage".

"Well you've always felt quite a bit protective of me", Emi smiled as he kneeled down in front of Kaito, placing her hands on his cheeks, "and personally, I think it's one of your good points. It doesn't matter if you're angry or enraged when someone threatens loved ones, it's perfectly normal".

With this, she leaned forward slightly, kissing Kaito lightly before taking his hand and pulling him up.

"Come on", she grinned, "no sense in brooding for the rest of the day".

Kaito returned her smile. She was right, of course. There was no sense in brooding over something that was in fact, a normal reaction in such a situation. Feeling Emi tug on his hand, he quickly pushed himself off the ground as to not make Emi overextend herself. He was worried about her, with the progressing pregnancy and all. As much as Emi disliked it, he just couldn't help but fussing over her, trying to take all of the work off her hands. The fact that she had stopped complaining so much made him smile a bit. Either she was getting used to being pampered or she was finally starting to feel the effects of being pregnant.

Quickly shifting into pampering husband mode, Kaito shooed Emi into one of the couches and moved off into the kitchen to begin making something to eat. Unlike some of the other males from his academy class, Kaito actually knew how to prepare a decent meal. One of the advantages of being a student living on your own was that he'd almost been forced to cook for himself and thus, had learned to prepare quite a bit of dishes. Emi on the other hand could handle herself in the kitchen, but her repertoire was somewhat limited.

He smiled again as he looked back into the living room, thanking the gods for allowing to meet Emi. If he ever had to die again to meet her, he'd do it without a second thought.

"What's the status on our operations?", Jun asked one of his underlings.

"We're currently rooting out any possible security leaks sir", the man kneeling in front of him replied.

"Excellent, then we can finally work without constantly having to look over our shoulders. It's time to begin".

"Yes sir", the messenger answered.

"Is there anything else to report?", Jun asked. He had always been able to see when people wanted to say something else.

"As a matter of fact, there is the matter of the promotion of a new fukutaichō".

"Who?"

Upon hearing the messenger speak those words, Jun had flown out of throne he had ordered to be made, he was currently holding the messenger's collar, threatening to lift him off the ground.

"I believe it was the former third seat of the fifth division. He defeated the fukutaichō of the ninth division and thus was granted the position", the man exclaimed, fear now the dominant undertone in his voice. His breathing hard as his windpipe was being compressed a bit.

"I should have known", Jun growled in frustration as he let the man go, "Leave it to the prodigy to rise through the ranks faster than a hollow empties a soul buffet".

"I'll deal with him later myself. What happened to the other fukutaichō?".

"It appears he had his Hakusui and Saketsu shattered. He was tried and found guilty of several capital offenses and has been sentenced to be imprisoned for the rest of his life in Soul Society".

"Find out where he is", Jun ordered, "He might prove to be useful to our cause".

The messenger bowed deeply before flash-stepping out of the room. Once again, he had survived an audience with the leader of their organisation. He sighed as soon as he was outside of the leader's quarters. The other members of his platoon were keeping a betting pool on how long it would take Kawazoe-sama to finally lose his patience and kill him, just like he'd done with the twenty or so messengers that had come before him. Yet he had already remained alive longer than the others combined. He just hoped his luck held out until he could get a transfer pushed through. But if he ever died and their leader got back onto his killing spree, he wondered how their organisation would ever grow.

The man growled inwardly. This wasn't exactly what he had signed up for when he left the Gotei 13, but nevertheless, he was in deep, too deep to ever get out again, so he did the only thing he could do. Perform his duties and hope he did them well enough so he wouldn't get himself killed. Dropping his shoulders again in a sigh, the man started running down the corridor of their headquarters to deliver the new orders of their leader to the rest of the high ranking officers.

Kaito opened his eyes slowly to let them adjust to the light. He smiled, the blue in small bit of the sky that was visible through the window, combined with the warmth in the air and the gentle rays of the sun that had roused him from his sleep made it clear that today would be another day of great weather. The days had flown by ever since the party gone wrong in the Shimizu estate.

Much to his amazement, Kaito had received word that he'd been promoted to fukutaichō the morning after he'd defeated Toru. The fact that he was now the fukutaichō of the ninth division still hadn't really nestled itself in his mind. He was glad though that Emi had been granted time off in order to fully prepare for the approaching birth of their child. It would probably happen within a few weeks. He smiled again as he thought about it. Within mere weeks, he would become a father. It had never occurred to him that he would be married and a parent at his age. Now that he thought about it, he did become a bit worried about his skills as a father, but both Yuuji and Reiko had assured both him and Emi that they'd do fine. Their promise to help whenever necessary also helped alleviate a lot of worries.

He looked outside again. The sight of the Shimizu estate gardens in the morning never failed to impress him. They had moved out of their former home because of his promotion. The presence of Reiko in the estate also had a positive influence on Emi. She'd recently begun feeling the effects of being in her last month of pregnancy and was now struggling with some tasks. Having her mother there to help her proved to be an immense relief.

Turning to his side, he noticed that Emi's eyes were open, and looking at him. Not giving her a chance to make some sarcastic remark, he quickly reached out and started stroking his wife's swollen belly, much to her displeasure.

"What is it with people wanting to touch my belly", she muttered.

"I honestly don't know", Kaito grinned, "I'm just eager to meet our child".

"Yeah, well you won't have to wait very long anymore", Emi growled as she softly batted Kaito's hand off her belly. Ever since they had returned to Soul Society, people had wanted to touch her steadily growing belly, up to the point where it irritated her so much that she threatened to release her zanpakutō on everyone that even came close, with the exception of her parents, Kaito and Miharu, the latter simply because it was impossible to deter her with something like that. She preferred to rely on Midorikawa's expert use of Bakudō spells.

"Come on, it's time to get up", Kaito smiled at his wife. Today was the day of his former superior's wedding, and he, as the best man, couldn't be late.

It was still amazing how fast time had passed. Emi had been sitting at home most of the time, while he had been training together with Naoki. He had to admit, it was scary, extremely hard and at times even agonisingly painful, but he couldn't ignore the results. During the small period of time that had passed his powers had almost doubled and he'd managed to materialise his sword's spirit for the first time only a few days ago.

He couldn't help but grin as he recalled the reactions of both Naoki and Yushio as his zanpakutō's spirit materialised. They'd both literally been blasted off their feet because of the fierce gusts of wind that had accompanied the arrival of Hyakuenrai. Afterwards, they'd been too stunned to say something, they'd simply left and had trusted the dragon to take care of his training. Something which was even more painful than sparring with Naoki though.

But even after having succeeded in materialising his zanpakutō's spirit, Naoki insisted on sparring on a regular basis, probably to satisfy his own need though.

The sight of Emi moving gracefully through the room pulled him out of his excessive amount of thinking though. She was beautiful. He couldn't help but follow her with his eyes as she moved towards the closet to pick out a dress to wear on the wedding.

"Like what you see Kaito?", she grinned.

"Of course, you're stunning", he replied, approaching Emi and wrapping her in a gentle hug.

"And you're not bad to look at either", she smiled, kissing him softly before turning him around and smacking his behind.

"Now go get dressed. I don't think Yoshikune Taichō would appreciate you showing up on his wedding dressed in your nightclothes".

Kaito laughed as he felt the playful smack on his rear and hurried to get dressed himself.

In no time they had breakfast with Emi's parents and had left for Shinji's small estate near the fifth division headquarters, the garden decorated magnificently.

After leading Emi to the seats near the altar, Kaito started looking around for Shinji.

He finally found him standing near one of the trees in the garden, looking out over the small pond.

"So, are you ready?", Kaito mirrored the words Shinji had said on his wedding.

"As ready as I'll ever be".

"Not at all I presume".

"Is a man ever completely prepared for getting married?".

"I guess not", Kaito smiled, "Come on, we'd better get going. No use in making Hayase-san wait".

Following Kaito's lead, Shinji moved towards his future.

It wasn't until both Shinji and Mitsuki both had said their vows that Murphy decided to butt in.

The newlyweds had just begun kissing when a pained cry made every single head turn. Kaito had recognised the voice instantly, it was Emi.

In a flash he was by his wife's side, supporting her as she nearly doubled over in pain.

"What's wrong", he asked her.

"I think someone wants to get out to celebrate", she hissed just as a new wave of pain came over her.

"Bloody hell", was all Kaito could exclaim before he gently picked up Emi and rushed her to the fourth division hospital, leaving a thoroughly confused Shinji standing at the altar.

"What in the world just happened?", he asked Mitsuki.

"I think Shimizu-san is about to give birth", she replied dryly.

"That explains, sorry dear".

"It's not that you could have done anything about it, don't worry about it", she quickly reassured him with a soft kiss.

"What the hell is going on here", Kago Asuka roared as she burst through the door of her office, nearly tearing the poor thing off its hinges. She'd been busy working through some paperwork, the bane of every taichō's existence and the reason why she couldn't go to Shinji's wedding, when suddenly a crash could be heard throughout the complex. What she saw standing in front of her wasn't what she had expected.

She'd expected anything ranging from a simple cut to an almost completely dismembered shinigami. What she didn't expect was to see Kaito carrying his wife, both dressed for Shinji's wedding. Emi's pained expression however quickly snapped her to attention. It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what was happening to her, the baby was coming, and it wouldn't be stopped by anything in the world.

She responded instantly, signalling Kaito to follow her. Quickly contacting her fukutaichō through means of hell butterfly, she let her know where she was going and what she needed before rushing through the hospital, Kaito in her wake.

She led them to one of the most private rooms in the hospital. It wasn't often that children were born in Soul Society, so they didn't have specialised rooms for cases like this, but it would do.

Arriving at the room, she saw that her fukutaichō had already arrived. The entire room was set up and ready to be used.

Directing Kaito to lay Emi down on the bed, she quickly got to work.

"How is she", Yuuji asked Aoki Kumiko, the fourth division fukutaichō.

"She's fine, don't worry sir", she reassured the taichō.

"You know, pacing a hole in the floor isn't going to help one bit Shimizu-san", Shinji remarked calmly, watching the antics of the worried father.

"You'd understand if you had children of your own Yoshikune-san".

"That's probably true, but even so, it's not going to help".

Taking Shinji's advice, Yuuji sat back down, though he couldn't stop his foot from tapping the floor impatiently. It had been an hour since Kaito had taken off with Emi. Shinji had arrived first together with Mitsuki, Yuuji following closely together with Reiko who was equally as worried as her husband.

Four heads suddenly shot up as a cry ripped the silence apart.

Instantly the four of them were standing, huddled near the door.

It didn't take long for Asuka to walk outside, tired, but a relieved and happy look on her face.

Yuuji had felt his heart skip a beat when he had heard the cry, but it didn't come from his daughter. Seeing Asuka walk through that door with that look on her face instantly made him forget all his worries.

"Both mother, father and child are perfectly fine, though I'm afraid Kaito has some bruised bones in his hand", she smiled.

"Can we go see them?", Yuuji asked, only to receive a nod in acknowledgement.

Asuka quickly moved out of the way and granted them access to the room, while indicating that they should be somewhat quiet.

They moved into the room, careful not to disturb the peaceful and happy atmosphere that was being radiated by the three people huddled together on the bed.

"Congratulations dad", Emi beamed as she held her child in her arms, Kaito gently holding one of her hands while holding his other hand out for Asuka to take a look at, "You've got a granddaughter".

Reiko immediately broke out in happy sobs as she rushed towards the bed, carefully enveloping her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter in a hug.

Shinji simply shot Kaito a knowing grin. The new father was beaming just as much as his wife, even if he winced every now and then when Asuka prodded against his hand.

"So, what's her name?", Reiko asked, curious as to what the newest addition to the Shimizu clan would be called.

Kaito and Emi both looked at their daughter at the same time, before looking at each other.

"Seri", they both said without hesitation.

"Well, congratulations Emi, Kaito", Yuuji finally said, "Seri is absolutely beautiful".

"I know", Kaito grinned, "She's got her mother's eyes".

Hearing this, just about everyone present in the room couldn't help but laugh. The little girl lying in Emi's arms having promptly fallen asleep after the exhausting act of being born didn't even twitch as the happy laughs continued.


	19. Chapter 18

(A/N: Before you read this, I strongly recommend that you play the song Soundscape to Ardor from the third Bleach OST when reading this chapter, especially the last 2000 or so words.)

* * *

**Chapter 18**

It didn't take long for things to settle down into a comfortable routine. After having stayed in the Fourth division hospital for a few days to make sure there were no complications, Emi was free to return home together with Seri.

It took another two months for her to be returned to active duty, though she was limited to paperwork and low stress activities for at least another four. Kaito meanwhile had adjusted fully to his new position as the fukutaichō of the ninth division and had been fully accepted by almost everyone in the division after news of his victory against Toru had spread. Most had seen signs of the growing instability in the former officer's mind but had been reluctant to act on something that could just as well be something as simple as light sleep deprivation or stress. No one had expected him to snap the way he did.

It was with great honour and some pleasure as well that Kaito had accepted the position, though he was reluctant to leave Emi behind at the fifth division, where she now occupied the third seat position. Shinji however had convinced him that it wouldn't take too long for her to reach fukutaichō status as well and thus being able to work with him again, even though they were in different divisions.

The fact that Mitsuki had promised to keep an eye out for her also did a great deal to ease his worries.

Saruwatari and Akimoto had been steadily working their way through the ranks in the Third division under Yamamura Taichō and were now sharing the fourth seat position, neither of them wanting to advance without the other. It would only be a matter of time before they made a bid at the third seat position.

Sakamoto had almost become the epitome of indecisiveness and laziness and had somehow managed to end up in the Eleventh, where he was a seventh seat. The irony of the situation was that it was because of his indecisiveness that he had signed a transfer order without even bothering to read what it said. Now he was being forced to defend his position almost on a weekly basis because of that, even though his brew had earned him many friends amongst the warmongers.

Meanwhile, Miharu and Midorikawa were third and fourth seat respectively in the twelfth division, though the fukutaichō of the kidō corps had taken it upon himself to give Midorikawa some private training. Yushio on the other hand took great pride in teaching Miharu some of the finer ways to fillet an enemy with just about anything within arm's reach.

Kaito on the other hand was being pushed to the limit by her husband, Naoki, during his bankai training. He had agreed with Yuuji to train Kaito every single free moment he had. Knowing this, Yuuji made sure he gave Kaito as much time off as he could, while Naoki mercilessly dumped the paperwork onto his fukutaichō's shoulders so he too could get as much free time to train with Kaito. After all, what battle crazed taichō wouldn't when he could spar almost on a daily basis with one of the most promising shinigami in all of Soul Society. Luckily, Yushio was there virtually all the time training with Miharu and keeping an eye out just in case things got hairy.

Kaito had just finished one of his training sessions, which usually consisted of nothing more than fighting against Naoki, Hyakuenrai, or both of them at the same time. He was now walking calmly towards his home, the Shimizu estate, careful not to tax his muscles any further.

"I know training is going to make me stronger and all, but this is ridiculous", he muttered quietly as he walked along the wall of the complex. The training session he'd just finished had consisted out of him sparring against Hyakuenrai, or rather, dodging lightning bolts and blades of wind. He still couldn't believe how he had survived yet another crazy training session. Granted, he had sustained several small injuries, but those were easily healed, well, except for the broken wrist when his zanpakutō's spirit had surprised him by throwing a rock at him using wind. That break had to be set and healed by the Fourth division third seat that was on constant duty near the Eleventh headquarters. Their recklessness combined with their battle craziness usually equalled several moderate injuries a day. It just so happened that Kaito also had become a regular customer at his small office, be it for different reasons altogether.

He gently moved his wrist, careful not to strain his sore muscles too much. He knew the pain would probably be gone the following morning, but that was little comfort when you knew that it was simply going to happen all over again the following day. At least he had his duties as a fukutaichō to keep him occupied during most of it, even though the meetings couldn't possibly be any more boring.

His mood brightened considerably though the moment he reached the gates to the estate. Waving his hello to the two guards, both of which he'd gotten to know over the past few months, he walked through the gate and sighed contentedly. The sight of the gardens in the estate never failed to calm him down, to make all of his worries simply flow out of him. There were only a few things in the world that he considered to be even more relaxing than that, and the top ranking one was currently walking towards him, a little bundle of blankets gently held in her arms.

He couldn't help but smile as the source of virtually all the joy in his life approached him.

"Hey, had a rough day?", Emi asked him, a slight undertone of worry in her voice. It had disturbed her the first time Naoki and Hyakuenrai had decided to push Kaito. That evening he'd limped in with bruises all over his body and one arm hanging lifelessly at his side. It had gotten better over time, but she still didn't like it that her husband was coming home with some serious muscle cramps at the very least.

"Yeah", Kaito replied, still trying to take in the calming effect of the gardens, "Hyakuenrai decided to do a number on me again".

"What happened this time?", she sighed.

"Nothing much, some cuts, some bruises and a broken wrist".

"The usual I see".

"Sort of", he grinned as he leaned forward a bit, capturing Emi's lips with his own.

"You're incorrigible", Emi smiled after she had returned the kiss, "Now there's someone that needs to see you".

Still smiling she handed the little bundle to Kaito, who took the utmost care in handling it. The little face that was nestled in between the blankets, looking up at him with curious eyes instantly brightened his day.

"Hey there Seri", he smiled down at his daughter, Emi snuggling up at his side as they slowly started moving towards the estate.

Yuuji pulled Reiko closer to his side as he watched his daughter, son-in-law and his granddaughter enter the mansion.

"They make great parents don't they?", he asked his wife, who simply stood there by his side, watching the small family.

"They do", she smiled back at him, "though they do ask for our help quite often".

"That's to be expected. It would be unreasonable to leave them all on their own. All new parents need some advice or help from the previous generation. But I didn't expect to become a grandfather at my age though".

"It doesn't matter dear, they're happy, we're happy and nothing else needs to change".

Yuuji looked at his wife, a gentle look on his face negating the need for any words to be spoken.

"Come on, let's go inside and have some dinner", he smiled at his wife before taking her hand and leading her inside.

Dinner was relaxed, as usual in the Shimizu estate. Reiko doing most of the talking as she questioned both her husband and children about the events of the day. Though Kaito was mostly spared, since Yuuji usually got home before him and he could relay the more important events of the day a bit better. Kaito, being his subordinate usually was around him and thus knew practically the same things as Yuuji, making it useless to hound him for some answers. Emi on the other hand seemed almost forced to investigate every single snippet of information if she were to satisfy her mother's curiosity, though she too was spared quite a bit of questioning seeing that she was still limited to paperwork and sometimes a simple walk around the division headquarters.

"So, how was your day Kaito", Reiko casually asked the moment the food had touched their plates. It had become the standard opening question for every dinner, not that he minded though. It was nice to have some family to talk to, and these dinners were simply the highlights in his new family life in Soul Society. It was almost the only time where he was guaranteed to see Emi, Seri and his mother- and father-in-law together, the mansion was simply too large to run into each other by accident.

"The usual", came his response, "Standard Fukutaichō duties for the Ninth division, which means meetings, meetings, more meetings and here and there some walking around while discussing things with either the other fukutaichō, random seated officers and occasionally one of the taichō. Seriously, Yuuji-san, I don't know how you do it. For all I know the duties of a taichō are even more boring than that. Of course, afterwards Fukuda Taichō and Hyakuenrai were trying to run me into the ground following the standard procedure, though Hyakuenrai decided to come up with some new tricks that left me with a broken wrist".

"Oh my, you're sure you're fine right?", she asked, worry in her voice. It had been like that every time they had dinner together. Every time Reiko worried about him, but every time he would convince her that he was fine.

"Really, I'm perfectly all right", Kaito smiled, "just a bit sore. I paid a visit to the fourth division member on duty and he healed all of my injuries. They ought to give that guy a raise if you ask me".

"A promotion would be more like it", Emi grinned. She knew about the Eleventh division antics the Fourth usually had to deal with and had seen the results of Naoki's training methods on almost a daily basis.

At this the entire family laughed, with the exception of Seri, who found it much more interesting to sleep in her mother's embrace.

"Looks like someone needs to be changed", Emi scowled as she and Kaito entered their room. She was waving her hand rapidly, trying to get the smell as far away from her as possible.

"Again?", Kaito muttered, "don't tell me that we'll be changing diapers for the next, what, decade?".

"Hey, mom also has it pretty tough you know, since she takes care of Seri during the day she also has to change the diapers. Besides, people in Soul Society age with a different rate than humans. The more reiatsu a person has, the slower he or she will age. And don't worry, it only starts to show around eight years old. The youngest to date being five. And even then it'll still be only a small amount so she'll age relatively fast. I only slowed down a lot the moment I hit fifteen, well, in terms of physical age. At the time I was around twenty I think. Starting from that moment it took me well over a hundred years to get to the point where I am now".

"Phew, thank God. I really wasn't looking forward to spending several years doing nothing but changing diapers and such".

"You and me both you know".

"Too true", Kaito grinned as he watched Emi handle their child with expert care, her maternal instincts combined with some good old motherly advice taking care of everything.

They were quite lucky though, all things considered. Seri was a calm baby, usually sleeping through the night and much of the day, though she did have her moments.

Sadly enough, her timing was impeccable each and every time she did wake up. Every single time she would interrupt her parents when they were being somewhat intimate, effectively annihilating the mood.

"Ugh, bloody little arousal killer", Kaito muttered as he left Emi's warm embrace and got out of bed to take care of his daughter.

"Don't smell anything, I guess she's hungry", he shrugged as he picked her up, eliciting a happy gurgle from the little bundle tucked away safely in his arms..

Sighing, Emi got up as well so she could supply her child with some nourishment. Gently, she took Seri from Kaito's arms and brought her to her breast where she happily started devouring a midnight snack.

"I'm still not used to this", Emi looked down at her child.

"That's what they're there for Emi, it's completely normal".

"That's what they're here for eh? I'll keep you to that", she grinned at her husband.

Kaito couldn't help but curse himself for his stupidity. He should know better than leave such an opening in his verbal defences. It had become somewhat of a tradition between the two of them to have some good natured joking whenever they had the chance, which was not too often given their busy schedules.

Kaito's smile faltered a bit. His promotion also had some disadvantages. He was a lot more busy and being in another division, he didn't see Emi much during the day. Compared to the amount of time they usually spent together before his promotion, it was a really big change.

Hearing a small burp, he looked up at his wife and saw that Seri had sated herself.

"So, where were we?", Kaito grinned as Emi gently put their daughter back into the crib where she promptly fell asleep.

"I wouldn't know", Emi smiled seductively, "I guess we should just start over then, right?".

"Did I ever tell you that I love the way your mind works?".

"I could stand to hear it more".

"I really love the way your mind works".

They were extra quiet that night, even though their daughter had already woken up once and would probably sleep through most of the following day.

"So, how are things at home?", Mitsuki asked as Emi walked into the fifth division headquarters.

"Pretty good", came the reply, "when are you and Yoshikune Taichō going to start?".

"That's not for the next few years", Mitsuki answered truthfully.

"We're still getting used to the idea of being married and all. Besides, to combine the workload our positions bring us with all the trouble that comes with being a parent. That's not really something I'm looking forward to you know".

"It's not so bad you know. I mean, there are some nights when Seri wakes us up, and there are the diapers. But the happiness it brings us is just incredible. The look on Kaito's face when I see him with Seri is just so sweet".

"She's got him wrapped completely around her finger it appears".

"Not just him, practically everyone in the estate and most of our friends", Emi laughed. It was true. Seri had some sort of attraction on everyone that came near her. Emi thought it was simply because her daughter was such an adorable little bundle of love. She too had been completely mesmerised with her child, but the sight of Kaito holding her for the first time was still burned in her mind. The happiness she had felt at the time, that she still felt every time she saw him holding Seri. It was amazing every time she saw it, but it would always be the first time that would hold that special place in her heart. It had been right after giving birth to her daughter. She had allowed Kaito to hold Seri. His clumsiness at first was incredibly cute to her, but after he had steadied himself and got more confident in holding his daughter, the sight of the father and his newly born child was simply adorable.

"Well, I can understand why", Mitsuki grinned knowingly. She too knew the feeling all too well, having been there at the birth.

"So what's the schedule for today?", Emi asked, wondering what she would be doing today.

"More paperwork, what did you think?", Mitsuki muttered. She could swear the main cause of death with the high ranking officers in the Gotei 13 was being buried under a pile of paperwork.

"Awwwww", Emi groaned, "I hate paperwork".

"Nothing we can do about it though".

"And to think I'm stuck with doing nothing but paperwork for a few months".

Emi sighed, she was really looking forward to the moment that she could get out in the field again. She wasn't even allowed to do anything that might be stressful to her body, so training was out as well.

Somewhat defeated, she walked into her office, silently cursing the pile of documents that was piled high on her desk. It would be another long day.

"Come on Kaito, you can do better than that", Naoki shouted as he dove at Kaito, sword ready to impale him.

He narrowly dodged the thrust and immediately retaliated, not giving Naoki a chance to press forward even more than he already had. His attack was anticipated though, a clang shaking the floorboards as his sword was stopped inches from Naoki's face. Deciding to use his speed and agility to his advantage, Kaito quickly grabbed Naoki's hilt and used it to support himself as he somersaulted over his opponent, turning to face his opponent halfway through the jump. A smile came over his lips as the unprotected back of Naoki slowly came into view. He lunged forward to make a strike, until his instincts told him to duck. Not being one to dismiss his instincts as simply some paranoia or something else, he reversed his momentum in an instant, causing one of the floorboards to crack audibly.

In that moment, a red blur shot by right in front of his face.

"I really hate it when you release Shuurajō without calling its name you know", Kaito grumbled as he got back into a defensive stance, constantly keeping a wary eye on the blood red tentacles that were now sprouting from the hilt of Naoki's sword. He had long since gotten over his fear of the sword. Not voluntarily though, he almost had to since the sword automatically attacked anyone that felt fear when they saw the release. That didn't mean that he wasn't careful around Naoki with his sword released though. He had more than one run-in with one or more of the tentacles, none of them worth repeating.

"You don't expect that your opponent on the battlefield will always call it out when he's going to release his sword, right?", Naoki replied, his eyes alight with excitement.

"I must agree with Fukuda Taichō", a voice called out in Kaito's mind, "it would be best to expect anything to happen on the battlefield".

"I know that", Kaito replied to both voices at the same time, "I was just saying that I hate it, besides, I did dodge your attack".

"Good point", Kaito nodded before he suddenly blasted off towards Kaito, shards of the floor flying into the air.

Kaito wasn't surprised in the least. A few months of training together with Naoki had taught him that he could expect almost anything from the man. He had tried to attack Kaito in the most insane ways. Attacking when his student would enter the eleventh division headquarters, when he was sitting in with the fourth division field medic for treatment, ...

Though it was a memorable occasion when he had walked in, only to find Naoki ensnared in the very trap he had set for Kaito.

Quickly releasing his own sword, Kaito ducked under Naoki's mad swing. His somewhat smaller size allowing him to fully utilise the openings he left after an attack. The only problem was that his sword had been released. Just as he was about to bring his own swords to bear, he felt a slight tug on them. Immediately he jumped sideways, rotating his body in mid-air while sending a massive current through his swords. The resulting explosion threw the already airborne Kaito backwards into the wall while Naoki was simply blasted off his feet and crashed into the floor a few meters further.

"Hey, what's the big idea", Naoki muttered as he brushed some splinters off his uniform, the usual trademark white haori hanging safely in the hallway.

"Just improvising", Kaito groaned as he picked himself off the floor. He looked back to see several large cracks running through the wall, coming together in the point where he had hit. He shook his head, getting rid of the dizziness before he went back into his stance, making a mental note not to improvise like that again.

"Now, let's up the stakes a bit shall we?"

Quickly reversing his grip on both his blades, Kaito put the end of the hilts together. Naoki quickly shielded his eyes to protect them from the fierce winds that had sprung up out of nothing. He had seen all three of the forms already and he knew which one was coming. After the wind died down, Kaito simply stood facing Naoki, a twin bladed spear in his hands.

Naoki shuddered a bit. He too had several encounters with Kaito's released zanpakutō and his least favourite of all was the one with the wind form of Hyakuenrai. The two blades were set on opposite sides of the staff, allowing Kaito to continue rotating his weapon while still unleashing slash after slash. The really annoying thing was that both blades could be enhanced with his wind element, effectively increasing the range by well over half of the original length. It didn't help that the increased reach wasn't visible either.

He cursed silently before he launched himself into the fight again.

Even though he had some experience in dealing with a multitude of separate parts of an opponent's weapon, by fighting Toru, he still found it difficult to continuously weave through the tentacles that made up Naoki's zanpakutō. The darn things seemed to have a mind of their own and responded almost instinctively to his actions.

Narrowly dodging another set of curved teeth sprouting from one of the 'beaks' of one of the tentacles, Kaito finally decided that he should take his distance. He already had too many near misses today and he wasn't exactly looking forward to another visit to the medic's office.

Training eventually ended with both of them going to the medic. Kaito for a nasty tear in his leg that a bite from one of the tentacles had left while Naoki was keeping a large cut in his side from bleeding too much by pressing his hand to it.

"Come on, wipe that smug look off your face Kaito", Naoki grinned as they both sat down in front of the medic.

"Hey, cut me some slack Fukuda-san", Kaito grinned back, "that's the first time I've been able to hit you when we're fighting equally".

The medic had meanwhile gathered his tools and sat down, shaking his head, to examine his patients, signalling Naoki to remove his hand from the cut so he could have a better look at it.

"True, true", Naoki still grinned, but that quickly to wincing a bit when the medic started prodding in the deep cut that had started bleeding profusively when the pressure on it had disappeared, soaking the clothing surrounding it.

It didn't take long for the medic to heal both of them. He had plenty of experience in dealing with that type of injuries. After seeing both of them out of the door, the medic quickly turned inside, ready to work on some more of that relaxing paperwork. On the contrary to injuries, paperwork didn't show up on random occasions, it was always predictable and limited in shapes in which it could appear and it was a lot easier to fill in something instead of putting together two halves of a limb. A procedure he still found quite hard to accomplish.

"What did Fukuda Taichō do to you this time?", Emi raised her eyebrow as she took in Kaito's appearance the moment he walked into the Fifth division headquarters to pick up his wife.

"Nothing much", he shrugged, "just a simple tear in my leg, not too serious".

"You always say that Kaito", she huffed slightly.

"What exactly will you say when you're lying on the ground bleeding?".

"Been there, done that. Oh, and the answer is ow".

Emi simply groaned in response. She never quite understood what it was with both her husband and practically every single other male she knew. None of them ever took an injury seriously. Thank God Kago Taichō was even more stubborn than any of them when she was healing them, otherwise the Gotei 13 might be almost completely composed of females. Considering that it was thanks to being a shinigami that she was able to meet Kaito, she found that thought rather disturbing.

Kaito smiled at her.

"I was kidding Emi. True, I've had my share of injuries when faced with Naoki-san and Hyakuenrai but nothing too serious".

His voice soothed her worries. She could almost feel the underlying tone of sincerity. She knew he was telling the truth. It was almost uncanny how both of them seemed to understand perfectly what the other was feeling at the moment. True, they had fights every now and then, but those were resolved quickly and they were never serious. She silently thanked the stars again for her life with Kaito and the wonderful gift he'd given her. Seri.

Just as she closed her arms around him in a hug, a shinigami came racing down the corridor.

"What's wrong", Emi asked, concern lining her voice. Shinigami usually didn't run in their own headquarters unless they had either very good, or very bad news. Given the expression on his face, it was the latter.

"Patrol number 32 just requested backup", the man wheezed. He'd obviously been running at full speed the moment he'd gotten the message at the research division's communications department.

"They were patrolling the Shinjuku area when they ran into a Menos class hollow. They're in dire need of support".

Kaito simply looked at Emi before nodding and sprinting off to the Senkai gate.

"Go tell Yoshikune Taichō. Kaito and I will be going there to buy some time for the others to escape and for him to arrive", she ordered the messenger before tightening the sash holding her zanpakutō in place. Taking one look back at her office, she made up her mind. She would help her fellow shinigami, no matter the risk. With this in mind, she too sprinted out of the Fifth division headquarters.

When she got to the Senkai gate, she noticed Kaito had wasted no time in going through. She nodded to the personnel operating the gate before it opened. They were already aware of the situation and had aligned the gate beforehand. As soon as the opening was large enough, she ran through towards the cornered team.

It didn't take Kaito long to find the patrol. Grimly he noticed that three members of the ten man patrol were missing. He didn't have to look very far to find them.

He growled as he spotted three broken bodies strewn across the rooftops, the culprit standing casually amidst the bloodshed. The rest of the patrol was standing on another building, zanpakutō drawn and released.

"Fujiwara Fukutaichō", one of the men cheered as he spotted Kaito. This drew the attention of the hollow towards the shinigami that had only recently arrived. The grin that spread across its jaws causing a shiver to run down Kaito's spine. Drawing his zanpakutō, he wasted no time releasing it.

"You guys run", Kaito shouted to the patrol, "I'll keep him occupied".

Noticing the slight twitch on the hollow's muscles, Kaito instantly flashed between it and the patrol.

"Well", the beast sneered, "it looks like I'll be having a fukutaichō instead of a few measly lower seats".

Ignoring the hollow, Kaito studied his opponent closely. Usually their different weapons could be identified through external characteristics. It looked like this one was no exception. Long claws adorned his fingertips, spikes were lined along the arms and a vicious looking tail was slowly swaying back and forth. The grin it had plastered across its face revealed rows upon rows of shining teeth. But what really disturbed him was the fact that this particular hollow was relatively small compared to the Menos he'd seen in the textbooks. He shuddered at the thought. It was probably an Adjuchas class, and a pretty strong one too, judging from the reiatsu that was coming off of his opponent in waves.

Wasting no time, Kaito launched his attack.

It didn't take long for the remnants of the patrol to encounter Emi. She waved them through while focusing on Kaito's reiatsu. Over time she had become so attuned to it that she could even feel it when he was off in the real world. It acted as a bright beacon, guiding her to wherever he was. Sensing another power appearing behind her, she smiled. Yoshikune Taichō had received the message and had also entered the real world. Still, she pressed on. She didn't like the feeling of Kaito fighting it out with that Menos. From what she could feel from this distance, it was very powerful.

She stopped abruptly when she arrived at the area the two powers had been calling their battlefield for several minutes now. She thanked God again for the invention of spatial freezes as she took in the damage to the surrounding area. Cuts lined the buildings, some had holes blown in them as if an object had been smashed clean through them. Craters littered the pavement. Amidst all this devastation, the distinct clashes of two weapons could be heard. Shockwaves blasting through the area, completely in synch with the sound.

Her heart clenched as she spotted Kaito and his opponent. The sight of the hollow causing goosebumps on her skin. But what truly caused fear to grip her heart was the sight of her husband, standing there in front of the hollow. His left arm was hanging lifelessly at his side, blood dripping down onto the rooftop of the building he was standing on. What remained of his left blade had been jammed straight through his upper arm, the chain attaching it to the other one had long been shattered. His breathing was laboured as he gripped the hilt of his remaining sword with all the power he could muster, his knuckles white from the tension.

Tears were everywhere in his uniform, the surrounding cloth darker than the rest. Blood could be seen dripping all around him, softly pattering down on the rooftop.

Suddenly, Emi froze. The hollow had shifted its gaze from Kaito to her, grinning madly. Without warning, it took off, his right claw raised, ready to impale his newest victim.

Kaito was starting to feel dizzy from the loss of blood he'd sustained. There was a limit to what a shinigami could take, and he was now very near that limit. Several gashes lined his chest, his left arm was dead, his right leg had once been caught in those jaws and refused to move properly now and he had a cut in his neck, narrowly missing the main artery.

His mind cleared the moment he felt a familiar pulse of reiatsu enter the vicinity.

"Emi", he thought, before he saw the hollow's look leave him. When it jumped away, he didn't hesitate. He mustered all his remaining strength and leapt.

Seeing the raised claw speeding towards her, Emi flinched. It was barely on the edge of her perception, she couldn't dodge it. She closed her eyes, strangely feeling calm in the moment before the inevitable pain would come. Almost as soon as she had closed her eyes, she heard the noise of something tearing, but she didn't feel any pain. When she opened her eyes, she froze. Kaito was standing there, between herself and the hollow. He smiled weakly at her, a small stream of blood coming from between his lips.

Looking down, Emi saw why. The claw that had been aimed for her heart, had gone straight through Kaito's chest, blood coating it in its entirety.

"Looks like I won't be able to enjoy you as well", the hollow grinned at the girl frozen in front of him, "there's too many people coming now".

Using its free claw, it made a sharp tap seemingly into thin air. Immediately the dimensional fabric tore open with the sound of a the needle being dragged over a vinyl record. Wasting no time, the hollow stepped in, dragging Kaito with him.

"I'm sorry Emi", Kaito whispered as he felt the pull coming from the hollow, "take care of Seri for me".

"I love you".

Sayonara

The last word was but a ghost of a whisper, but it still resounded clearly in Emi's mind. Slowly, her thoughts began speeding up again. She looked up, just as several white coats could be seen appearing all around her.

At the same time, the dimensional tear closed up, any trace of both the hollow, and Kaito, gone.

Realising what had just happened, she screamed.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Shinji stood by and watched as Emi slowly fell to her knees, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"GODDAMMIT", he yelled, slamming his fist into the wall next to him, shattering it completely. He cursed himself for not arriving sooner.

He didn't need to explain anything to the rest of the taichō that had joined him. It was painfully clear what had just happened. Fujiwara Kaito had sacrificed himself in order to save the lives of his fellow shinigami.

Holding back his tears, Shinji looked around at the others. Yuuji was still staring in disbelief at the place where Kaito had disappeared. Asuka was crying and Naoki was simply standing there, a blank look on his face as he looked at the floor.

Soft sobs echoed over the rooftops as Emi continued to weep. Shinji let her be, he knew there was nothing he could do to ease her sorrow.

A sudden shimmer on another rooftop caught his eye. Curious as to what it was, he jumped towards it. What he saw there made his blood run cold. Holding his breath, he slowly picked up what remained from Kaito's zanpakutō, the shattered left blade, together with the hilt which had come free during his last leap. He took off his haori and almost reverently picked up the pieces, placing them in his coat.

Yuuji watched his fellow taichō work in silence. It seemed almost fitting, that the only physical reminder of Kaito would be brought back home carefully wrapped in the cloak of the first person he ever met as a spirit.

Having finished picking up the pieces, Shinji slowly stood up, carefully holding his folded up haori. He bit back some tears as he walked past Emi, her prone form remaining motionless except for the shakes caused by her sobs.

"Let's go", he said in a low voice to his fellow taichō, "there's nothing left for us here".

Nodding, the others simply turned and followed Shinji through the gate he had opened. Yuuji carefully picking up his daughter and carrying her back to soul society, she had lost all her strength.

A crowd had gathered in front of the Senkai gate while the taichō had been in the real world. The patrol had already arrived and had no doubt told almost everyone they could find about what had happened. A lot of people started cheering when it finally opened again, but they soon quieted down as they saw Shinji leading the group, a grim look on his face.

"Kaito's dead", Midorikawa muttered as he saw the gate close behind the rest of the group, Kaito nowhere in sight.

His comment made the heads of the rest of the academy friends turn, looking at him in disbelief.

"Why would you say that?", Momiji growled, "Kaito is the last person I'd see dying out there".

"Then take a closer look", Midorikawa snapped, losing his patience.

"Where exactly do you see Kaito huh? And take a look at who is in Shimizu Taichō's arms and how she looks. And why is Yoshikune Taichō carrying his haori like that? Think".

Taken aback by the sudden outburst of his friend, Momiji turned to look at the group now headed towards the Fifth division headquarters. He cursed as he noticed everything Midorikawa had said.

Meanwhile, the rest of his friends had different reactions to the news Midorikawa had told them. Miharu staying awfully quiet as she watched the small procession, Saruwatari was crying and Sakamoto had turned around, unwilling to look for even one more second.

Whispers now rolled through the crowd as they had heard Midorikawa's outburst and started putting the pieces together. Most of them were equally as shocked with disbelief, the remaining patrol members most of all. They realised that by staying behind and sacrificing himself, Kaito had saved them from their doom.

"A fitting end to the life of an extraordinary shinigami", Naoki muttered as they entered the division headquarters. Shinji simply headed to his office, signalling Yuuji to enter as well.

He put down his haori and unfolded it, revealing the shattered pieces of Kaito's sword.

"This is all I could find", he said softly to Yuuji, who simply nodded in response. Slowly he put down Emi onto one of the chairs in the office, before reaching into his uniform, pulling out the fukutaichō badge of the ninth division. Quietly, he placed it next to the fragments of the sword, before nodding to Shinji again.

"He would be honoured if his sword were to be buried together with the haori of the man that he first encountered as a soul".

Shinji bowed his head, both in agreement, and in regret.

The following day, the funeral was held. It was a small, almost private event. Most of the taichō that had known Kaito were there, together with their fukutaichō. His old academy class was there, together with Nakajima-sensei. And all those that lived in the Shimizu estate.

"Kaito was an, unusual person", Shinji said softly as he talked to the people assembled before him. Yuuji had asked him to say the final goodbyes to their friend, and he had obliged immediately.

"He instantly caught my eye when I saw him in the real world. I still don't know why, but he peeked my interest from the very beginning. It is for this very reason, that Kaito became the man we all knew, and loved. So it is with great sadness in my heart, that I stand here today, to say goodbye to him. Kaito was one of a kind, and the way he came into our lives was stunning to say the least, he quickly became one of the people I respect, and it is with certainty that I say that the same thing happened to all those assembled here today. Kaito, you were a great friend to all of us, a fantastic husband to a loving wife and without a doubt, you were a marvellous father. But most of all, you will be missed".

Shinji looked over the familiar faces gathered before him and felt his breath hitch again at the sight of Emi, holding a sleeping Seri, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

Looking away before he too broke down, he turned to his old haori. He carefully folded it up again, covering the broken sword and the badge, before placing it in a wooden box which he then lowered into the earth, a small tombstone already marking the spot.

"Thank you for saving my men Kaito, goodbye", he whispered as he let go of the box, leaving it to a few volunteers to close up the grave.

"How's Emi holding up?", Shinji asked Yuuji, who was sitting on a bench outside of the main taichō assembly area. Almost an entire year had passed since Kaito's burial.

"Still the same", sighed the man, dark circles under his eyes indicating the lack of sleep. Almost immediately after the funeral, Emi had fallen into denial. She simply refused to believe Kaito was gone and had thrown herself into her duties. She almost literally worked herself to the bone every single day. This of course worried Yuuji and Reiko to no end. Every day Emi would come home with some sort of injury coming from either an encounter with a hollow or another out of control training session. She refused to accept Kaito's death and walked away from every single conversation about it.

"I wish there was something we could do to help her", Shinji muttered as he sat down next to Yuuji.

"The only thing I know of that would help her is us bringing Kaito back. Sadly enough that's impossible".

"Well, at least she still has Seri".

"The only point of brightness left in her life", Yuuji murmured, "Without her I believe she would be even more lost. I can't stand to think what she'd do then".

Shinji couldn't help but agree. He'd seen Emi wandering around aimlessly too many times to believe she was alright. Her standard answer when asked about her condition. It hurt everyone close to her to see the once happy young woman so depressed.

"It's all just so unfair", Yuuji growled, "they still had an entire life ahead of them. They were supposed to have some more kids, raise them well and to retire from the Gotei 13 after having reached the Taichō rank and then grow old".

"It wasn't meant to be like this", he continued, holding his head between his hands. It was one of the few shows of emotion Yuuji had given in the past year. Shinji stayed quiet, he knew the man simply had to let it out every now and then. He had forced himself to appear emotionless most of the time, but even he had a limit, they all had.

"Shinji", a familiar voice called him. Looking up, he saw Mitsuki running towards him, some papers clenched in her hands.

"We've just received the report from the scouting party", she said as she skidded to a stop in front of her husband.

"They've found them".

Shinji looked up at hearing these words. They had found out that the hollow had been attracted to that area with high powered bait. The situation was remarkably similar to what had happened almost two years beforehand, during the excursion in the real world of that year's graduating classes. The investigation had taken a long time, but having two different samples of the hollow bait, the research and development division was now able to compose a list of ingredients that made up this particular type of bait. Using those ingredients, they were able to track down the suppliers and had been able to devise trackers for the bait. Using those, they were able to close in on a remote location deep within Rukongai. They had sent a scouting party there a week ago, now they had returned with some positive news.

Yuuji looked up as well before smiling, the first in a very long time. He too was aching for some payback.

"When?", was his only question.

Two days after that particular conversation, a special strike force was standing at the eastern gate of the wall surrounding the Spirit Court.

It was composed of the five taichō that had defended the academy during the assault. They were in turn supported by their fukutaichō and the best fighters in their division. Naoki bringing almost his upper group of officers with him.

"Everyone ready to go?", Yuuji shouted over the crowd, receiving a loud cheer in response.

"I'm coming with you", a voice suddenly rang out over the group.

"No Emi, you're staying here", Shinji said before anyone else could make a remark. He had wondered when she would be showing up, it didn't surprise him in the least.

"Like hell I am", she hissed, completely disregarding the fact that she was talking to five superior officers, all of them a lot stronger than she was herself.

Shinji was about to retort when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking behind him, he spotted Tetsuo standing there.

"Let her come Shinji", he said. Tetsuo hadn't been there when Kaito had died, but he had visited the location soon afterwards. He understood what it must have been like for Emi.

"She needs this, you know that".

"Revenge isn't the answer Tetsuo, you know that".

"Yes, but this isn't revenge. She'll have revenge when she kills the hollow that killed Kaito. This is simply eliminating those that have caused a lot of people pain. Not only herself".

Shinji let the words sink in as he looked over the strike force. Most of the shinigami here had lost friends and family because of the attack on the academy and the patrol ambushes which were happening more and more lately. His resolve finally broke when he saw them nodding as one.

"Fine", he said to Emi, "but don't get yourself killed. You still have a daughter to take care of".

Emi nodded at this. She would never leave Seri, her only remaining link to Kaito, alone in this world. Her daughter had already lost something irreplaceable, she wouldn't lose something else, ever again.

"Good, now I suggest you go and join Akimoto's group, they're over there", Shinji pointed to the right flank of the formation where her friends from the academy had gathered.

"Right you lot", Naoki shouted enthusiastically over the crowd, "we've been looking for these bastards for a long time now, but as you all know, we found them".

Shinji continued from where Naoki left off.

"Their base is located near the centre of Rukongai's eighty-fifth district, in a so called, abandoned warehouse. Obviously, it isn't as abandoned as most would think. All of you were chosen for this mission because you have either battle experience against our adversaries, or because you have lost someone because of them. You've all been briefed about your targets, so let's not waste anymore time".

Hearing Shinji finish his speech, Naoki simply grinned as he raised his sword, eliciting a roar from their taskforce.

"Payback time".

The souls walking around in Rukongai scattered when they felt the shinigami approach, those that weren't fast enough fainted on the streets because of the spiritual pressure the several high ranking officers were giving off. There was no point in hiding their approach, they let it flow out freely so it would send a clear message to all those that opposed them. Here comes destruction, and you won't escape.

"Sir", Jun's personal messenger kneeled before his leader, "we have just detected a large group of shinigami headed our way".

"I know, I've felt them as well", Jun muttered. This wasn't what he'd been counting on, now one of their complexes had been compromised, and he had a pretty good idea about how it was possible that the Gotei 13 had found them here.

The messenger looked up, to see Jun standing upright, in his full battle outfit.

"What are your orders sir?", he asked.

"Evacuate the complex".

At the man's surprised look, he elaborated.

"There's too many of them to win this with our current forces. Besides, we've still got a lot of other complexes. I'll stay here together with a small force to buy some time for the rest to escape. Afterwards we'll try to lead them on a false trail so they won't find the others".

The messenger nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'll stay here as well my lord, so I may help you in your efforts".

"No, you'll be evacuating with the rest of the personnel. You're too valuable to our cause to die here, I need you to live", Jun smiled. Over time, he had come to like the messenger and had even allowed him to speak his mind about things a bit. But he felt it was time for a change.

"From now on, you're not my messenger anymore".

The man didn't feel fear. Jun had already said that he was too valuable to die, instead he wondered about what he would be now that he wasn't a mere messenger anymore.

"You'll be my right hand man, my second in command".

The man's eyes bulged almost comically when he heard this. He never expected to hear something like this coming from Jun.

"For this reason, I have something for you. Use it wisely".

Reaching into a pocket in his outfit, Jun pulled out a whole version of the dagger that made up their insignia.

"This is one of the few of its kind remaining. It will allow you to absorb the power of anyone or anything you stab with it while channelling your reiatsu to it, but I suggest you use it wisely. Some targets may have, unusual, side effects".

Almost reverently the man took the dagger from Jun's outstretched hand and safely tucked it away in his belt before nodding to his superior and moved off to organise the evacuation.

Jun smiled, soon his army would be large enough to crush the Gotei 13 and he'd become the new ruler of it all. Still smiling, he walked out of the door, knowing that every single target his new second in command absorbed would automatically transfer half of its power to Jun, it was a handy little feature he had built in to prevent his underlings from getting stronger than he was, he still knew what had happened the last time those daggers were semi-freely distributed amongst the foot soldiers. Almost immediately feuding had begun amongst the members of the organisation until it was nothing more than a smouldering ruin of what it once was. Battles between power-drunk psychopaths were hourly events and the leadership changed almost on a weekly basis after the founders were gone.

His promotion to commander of the elite guard had been a chance happening. It had been pure coincidence that he'd encountered that fukutaichō when he did, and defeating him was nothing short of unexpected. At the time the leadership was already keeping a tighter leash on the distribution of the daggers, but it wasn't enough. After eliminating the council and becoming the sole leader, he was quick to eliminate anyone with the power to remove him and destroyed most of the daggers that remained himself, keeping only a few to be distributed amongst his most loyal servants. Unlike his predecessors, he wasn't stupid.

He actually could thank the shinigami for attacking. There still were a few loose end he had to tie up, loose ends in the form of rebellious spirits. In keeping them here during the assault, they were almost guaranteed to die and any relatives or friends they had wouldn't be suspicious of him. Instead, they would worship him as the sole survivor of a valiant stand to buy the others enough time to escape.

Besides, it wasn't like he couldn't have any fun even though there were a few taichō amongst them.

"Emi, stay in formation", Shinji shouted when he noticed that Emi had left his side again.

"Sorry Yoshikune Taichō".

"It's alright, just keep focused ok?", he smiled as his third seat returned to his side as they raced across the rooftops towards their target. Emi couldn't help it though. She was almost obsessed with the coming battle, and it seemed as if she would do almost anything to make it come even faster.

"Listen up people", Shinji shouted to the rest of the strike force, "we're almost at the target".

"They're likely to be prepared so you can expect a tough fight. Keep in mind that even though you are accompanied by several taichō class shinigami, that doesn't guarantee a victory. We have reason to believe that they are somehow affiliated with the group that had entered in a conflict with the Gotei 13 a long time ago, and I recall them taking out several taichō at the time. We don't know their current strength, but expect the unexpected".

The shinigami looked uncertain for a while after hearing this, but quickly pushed their doubts to the backs of their minds. They still had a mission to accomplish.

Jun smiled as the shinigami approached so closely that he could begin feeling the individual signals of reiatsu. There were a few familiar ones between them. it figured though that they would send out those that already had combat experience with their little organisation, but sensing one power in particular gave him a sense of satisfaction. In a roundabout way, he was responsible for making a widow out of her. It would only make sense that he would make her follow in her husband's footsteps. And as an added bonus, it might destroy the mind of her father, and perhaps it would hurt Yoshikune Taichō a bit as well, seeing that he would have lost his former and current third seat officers, both of whom he had a close friendship with.

Barking his final orders at the few men he had ordered to stay behind to cover the retreat, he awaited the arrival of the shinigami.

Shinji could see Emi's face contort as they approached their destination. It appeared that she too had recognised the signature of the leader of the elite guard they had fought during the academy battle. Sadly enough, she too had received all of the available intel, being one of the high ranking officers in the Fifth division. She too knew that the man, Kawazoe Jun, had climbed up to become the sole leader of the enemy organisation and was the one responsible for ordering the dispersion of the hollow bait that had attracted the hollow during the fifth division's patrol a year ago, eventually causing the death of her husband. She was undoubtedly planning some form of revenge.

"He's mine", she growled as she noticed Shinji's concerned face.

"Listen Emi, it's not worth it. Besides, he might even be too powerful for you".

"I don't care, he's mine to kill, and no one better interfere with our fight".

Shinji sighed, it was hopeless. He could kill Kawazoe before Emi ever had the chance, but in doing so, he would probably provoke her into doing something such as quitting the Gotei 13. In anything he did to interfere, all he would do was make Emi hate him.

"Alright", he conceded, "but from as soon as I decide it's over, I'm ending it, ok?"

"Fine", she grumbled in response. It didn't really matter to her anymore if she lived or died. Seri had given her something to hold on to after Kaito had died, but lately she had begun having the opposite effect. Every time she looked at her daughter, she saw Kaito's face in her mind. She still refused to believe that he was dead, even after a year she still couldn't. And looking at her daughter was simply driving her mad little by little. She knew Kaito had asked her to look after Seri, but lately, she had stopped caring whether she lived or died. In any case, her parents would look after Seri.

It had progressed to the point that she had even written some sort of a will.

Not that she was contemplating suicide though, but that might come later. She sighed inwardly. She knew she was an emotional wreck, but putting on a 'mask' of sorts had fooled most people. Only those that knew her closely, such as her parents or Yoshikune Taichō knew how devastated she had been, and still was. Today, it would all change. Either she would kill Kawazoe and hopefully gain some composure in knowing that she had killed the one responsible for Kaito's death, or she would die herself, and then nothing would matter anymore.

She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly as their destination came into sight, her target standing on top of the warehouse, his eyes looking directly into hers.

Even though he had been expecting them, Jun was impressed by the sheer size of the shinigami force. Though it was smaller in comparison to their own force that had attacked the academy, it made up for that in sheer quality of shinigami. Their individual power was miles above anything an ordinary foot soldier in his organisation could bring to bear. There were only a few with either the capacity or potential to bring down a taichō class shinigami in their organisation, and except for himself, none of them were present, not that he wanted to risk the brunt of his military force in a stupid battle such as this though.

"Pick your targets and engage", Jun shouted as he drew his own sword, "but leave the Shimizu heir to me".

His forces shouted in acknowledgement and quickly moved off to engage. Groups headed towards the different taichō class shinigami to stall them with sheer numbers while the rest tried to occupy the lower ranking officers as much as they could.

Soon enough, explosions started sounding everywhere as Jun's troops lured the shinigami into carefully positioned traps that littered the surrounding area. Clashes of swords could be seen all around where opposing sides met. In the middle of this, two people stood facing each other, almost oblivious to the battle surrounding them.

"Hmmm, it's good to see you again, Shimizu-san", Jun grinned, his sword already in shikai. He waved it casually, in a sort of mock salute, "how is Kaito? I heard the two of you got married".

"You know bloody well what happened to him, Kawazoe", she snapped, "You had him killed".

"Now now dear. I simply ordered my men to spread some hollow bait in that area. How could I have known that your husband would jump in to save that poor patrol that got caught by the hollow. Though I must admit, it was a pleasant surprise".

"You bastard", she screamed, launching herself forward, zanpakutō already released.

"Hasty to meet him are you?", Jun smirked as he ducked below the thrust of Emi's spear, "well, I can arrange that".

The smirk soon fell off his face when he noticed Emi twisting her spear in her hands, bringing the rear up towards his face, forcing him to jump back.

"Mouko", he shouted, launching his reiatsu forward in three thin arcs as he brought his own arm down.

Emi, having seen his attack before, jumped to the side. A thin part of her sleeve being severed as one of the arcs passed through it.

"Hmmmm, I missed", Jun said casually, ignoring the surprised look on the face of his subordinate that had been hit by the stray attack.

Emi wasted no time in retaliating, summoning a large amount of water and shooting it straight into the air.

Jun looked up, following the water, wondering what the shinigami opposing him would do. He didn't have to wait long. Just as the water reached the highest point in its arc, the separate drops froze, forming a large number of icy needles.

Jumping back, Jun attempted to dodge the ice but winced as several of them imbedded them into his arm.

"Ok, that hurt", he muttered, quickly pulling them out.

He was forced to duck again as Emi swung her staff again, this time enforced with some water. The following deluge thoroughly drenching Jun.

He shivered at the feeling of water soaking his clothes. Even though it was warm out and he was in the middle of combat, he quickly started shivering because of the freezing water.

"You know Shimizu-san, I prefer my showers a bit warmer".

"What's wrong? Can't take a bit of water?", Emi bit back, thrusting her staff forward again, attempting to impale her opponent.

Jun jumped sideways, but was surprised to hear part of his outfit shatter as the spear glanced against it. Knowing that it was relatively unnatural for it to do so, he quickly looked at his sleeve. Ice had started forming on his outfit and was slowly making its way towards his chest.

"Damn, that's right, she controls both water and ice", he thought, cursing himself for his own stupidity.

"Note to self, when fighting her, it's not a good idea to get drenched".

"You're done for Kawazoe", Emi glared at him, "that ice won't stop spreading until I either want it to or when I die. Neither of those is even remotely possible".

"You forgot one option. I can always melt it".

"Don't even bother to try. The intensity of flame needed to get rid of the ice would boil your insides. And then you would still be drenched and the cycle would repeat itself".

"That's where you're wrong", Jun smiled gleefully, placing his other hand onto his zanpakutō, "Bankai".

Instantly, his reiatsu enveloped him, turning into blue coloured flames. Steam started rising off him as the water slowly evaporated. Emi shielded her eyes as the flames intensified, turning the figure of Jun into a shimmering blaze.

On the other side of the battlefield, Shinji turned his head as the wave of reiatsu came rolling over him. Cursing, he quickly sliced through an enemy soldier before using shunpō to flash towards Emi's location. Images of the event of almost a year before flashed through his mind. It was almost exactly the same. A year ago, he had been running towards a friend of his, waves of reiatsu rolling over him as he raced to help, only to arrive too late to save him. The resemblance was unnerving.

As the fire died down, Jun stood in the middle of a scorch mark on the earth, unharmed, completely dry. On each of his arms was a massive curved claw.

"So, what's next?", Jun grinned as he swiped his right claw across the ground, leaving a deep trench, the sand on the inside having turned to glass from the intense heat emitted by the blade.

His grin disappeared though as soon as he felt the reiatsu of Shinji approaching rapidly. Even if he had bankai, he still couldn't beat a true taichō class shinigami, especially not if he wanted to escape afterwards.

"I hate to say this, but I guess I'll have to cut this short", he continued, right before launching himself towards Emi. His right claw raised, the air around it shimmering with heat.

In an instant, he was right in front of her, a surprised look on her face.

"So this is the end", Emi thought. She had halfway been expecting it to happen the moment Jun had seemed unconcerned with her ice coating him. Even so, it was quite sudden.

She didn't even raise her staff in defence, she knew it was useless anyway. Judging by his speed and reiatsu, the claw would cut her staff in half without any problem, and he was too fast to move outside of his range.

"Gotcha", Jun shouted as he brought down his zanpakutō.

"No". It was the only thing that crossed Shinji's mind as he saw Kawazoe bring down his claw. He was too late again.

A massive cloud of dust was thrown up by the displacement of air as Jun swung downwards, engulfing the two combatants. All combat surrounding them stopped as the roar of flames echoed across the battlefield.


	21. Chapter 20

A/N: Yes, I know, I'm evil, but hey, I'm the Almighty Author. I'm authorised to be evil (just so you know, pun intended ^^).

'Neways, I hope this clears up some stuff. A more complete explanation will come in the next chapter so don't worry. I won't be hiding (much) from you anymore ^^.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Yuuji skidded to a halt as he saw Kawazoe bring down the sword upon his daughter. He too had bolted towards Emi the moment he had felt Kawazoe's reiatsu grow.

"Please God, no", he thought as he saw Jun standing there, a smirk on his face as he held his blade, everything but the hilt still obscured by the dust.

Tears had already started forming in his eyes when he noticed the look on Jun's face had suddenly shifted. Yuuji frowned as he took a closer look and noticed that the claw used to attack Emi was positioned at an unusual angle. Judging from the angle it was in, it hadn't struck Emi at all but had stopped moving before hitting her.

Jun cursed loudly as he tried to pull back his sword out of the dust. He didn't know what had happened. One moment he had been well on his way to ridding soul society of another pest when suddenly his sword had stopped mid swing, and when he tried to pull it back, it wouldn't budge. This thoroughly confused and ticked him off at the same time.

Bellowing in anger, he swung his left claw in a sideways arc to whatever had trapped his other blade. The following clash left his arm numb as his other attack was stopped as well. Not wanting to make the same mistake as with his first attack, he quickly pulled back as far as he could. His right arm was still trapped along with the claw.

"What in the blazes is happening here", he muttered.

Everyone surrounding them had stopped, wondering what was going on with Jun. Shinji too had stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the confused look on Jun's face. It wasn't until a familiar pulse of reiatsu filtered through to him that he understood exactly what had happened, even if the pulse itself was extremely weak and warped, even if it was impossible. A smile came over his face.

As the dust slowly settled down, Jun's attention was drawn by a small flicker of light being reflected off metal. Slowly, a sword was revealed, held exactly where his left claw had been blocked. His eyes widened as he noticed the shape of the sword. Its spiked back and broken chain on the end of the hilt gave away the owner of the sword. Small arcs of lightning raced violently across the blade, almost challenging Jun to try another attack.

"That's impossible", he breathed, having recognised the sword almost instantly. Everyone else in the surrounding area that recognised the sword was stunned as well. Everyone had heard the reports of the Ninth Division fukutaicho dying.

Jun looked at his right blade, not knowing what was happening. According to the reports the left blade had been shattered and buried along with the badge, and the right sword had blocked his left attack.

"How the hell did he stop my first attack?", he pondered.

Almost as an answer to his unspoken question, the rest of his blade was revealed. Jun's eyes widened as he watched a hand gripping the searing hot blade of his zanpakutō as if it were nothing.

"Didn't I tell you last time we met that you would never hurt her?", a familiar voice came from the dust.

"No way".

"I assure you, it's completely possible", it replied, right before a massive pulse of reiatsu blew away the cloud, revealing a lone figure standing between Jun and Emi.

Emi had dropped to her knees, waiting for the final blow to finally come. She had accepted her fate without too many problems. Seri would be fine, her parents could even take her as their own child without too many problems. She closed her eyes, hoping it would be quick. The roar of the flames almost tore her eardrums but it didn't really matter. She waited for the blade to cut through her skin but started wondering if she was already dead when it didn't come as expected. As a second clash resounded through the area she opened her eyes in wonder. Surrounding her was a huge mass of dust, she couldn't even see her hand in front of her eyes, and all she could hear was Jun cursing loudly. She was still wondering what had happened when suddenly an awfully familiar voice made her heart skip a few beats. She looked up at the source of the sound when a blast of equally familiar reiatsu flared up and blew away the dust, revealing a person standing between her and Jun.

She was confused.

"Kaito?", Emi whispered at the figure standing before her. She was confused, the voice was Kaito's, the reiatsu, even if somewhat warped, was Kaito's and the sword held in the right hand of the figure was without a doubt Hyakuenrai. But the figure himself wasn't Kaito at all.

"Yeah", the figure replied while turning around a bit, releasing his hold on Jun's blade, "It's me Emi".

"You might not believe it, but it's me", he continued, "I know the changes might shock you, but I guess that's normal".

Emi simply swallowed as the figure replied with Kaito's voice. Raising her head, she looked at his face and froze. It was Kaito, no doubt about it. His face was exactly the same as it had been on that day, almost a year ago, when he had met her in the Fifth Division headquarters. The last moment of happiness in her life.

But at this moment, she didn't know what to feel. She wanted to believe that he was alive and standing in front of her, but her mind was screaming to her that this was someone or something else. No one could have survived what he had gone through. Combined with the change in physical appearance, it was enough to cancel out her joy at seeing her husband alive and well.

"What the hell are you", Jun interrupted them. He too was confused. Standing in front of him was something that blurred the line between man and monster.

His face was almost exactly the same as before, except his brown eyes had turned into slitted amber ones, the dark shade of the colour giving off a peculiar vibe. His brown hair now had streaks of white in it and had grown out to reach between his shoulder blades. But the most apparent changes were the white lines running across his arms, and most of all the wings and tail coming out through the tattered fabric he was wearing, a line of white scale like armour ran down the back of his neck and continued down along the tail.

"As I said, I'm Kaito. It's your choice to either believe me or not".

Jun was shaken out of his confusion by the pulse of the last of his subordinates fading out of existence and the arrival of the remaining taichō at the scene. He needed to get out of there, but most of all, he needed to put some distance between himself and the thing standing in front of him.

Not even replying, Jun quickly grabbed some papers he had stuffed into his outfit and threw them into the air. It was one of the more useful kidō techniques, allowing the user to transport himself instantly towards a preset location. In an instant, he had vanished, leaving the battlefield far behind him.

"Are you alright?" Kaito asked as he held out his hand to help Emi up. She nodded, still dazed by Kaito's appearance.

"Is it really you?", she asked him as she took his hand.

"Even though I look like this, yeah, it's me", he smiled at her as he pulled her up before enveloping her into a hug.

"I missed you so much", he whispered into her ear.

"What happened to you?"

"Its a long story", he replied, "I'll explain it later".

He looked up to see all of the taichō present at the battle surrounding them, swords drawn and at the ready.

"Step away from her", Yuuji's voice commanded.

"I guess I have some explaining to do", Kaito muttered.

"I won't say it again, step away from her", Yuuji shouted again.

Kaito broke the hug.

"Go towards you father Emi", he smiled, "I'll explain everything after we get home".

He gave her a gentle nudge and watched as she slowly walked towards her father.

"The only place you're going to is hell you bastard", Yuuji growled as he brandished his sword.

"How dare you impersonate my son".

"You mean son-in-law, right? Besides, it's really me".

"Bullshit, I've fought enough hollow to know that there are some that can take on the appearance and even reiatsu of anyone they want".

Hearing the word hollow, Emi was shaken out of her daze. It was the only possible explanation for the changes in Kaito`s appearance.

"True, there are hollow that have that particular ability, and yes, I'm a hollow, though not in the usual sense of the word".

"That's all I needed to know", Yuuji roared, "Kajiki".

His zanpakutō glowed blue as it lengthened into a thin lance. It wasn't the first time that Kaito saw Yuuji's released zanpakutō and he knew what to expect. He dodged to the side, using his sword to deflect the thrust even more. Even so it still tore through the clothes on his chest, revealing more white lines and some scales running along his sides.

Not wanting to let Yuuji continue his assault, Kaito quickly grabbed the lance, holding it steady.

"Just hear me out alright?"

"What is there to listen to, you monster", Yuuji bellowed, desperately trying to get his lance out of Kaito's grip.

"Why won't you listen to me", Kaito snapped. He slammed his sword into the ground and used his now free hand to smash down onto the lance's shaft, breaking it in half. Throwing away the now useless tip, he grabbed Yuuji by his collar and pulled him close. Instantly, both Tetsuo and Shinji jumped forward, swords drawn and released.

Using his free arm and tail, Kaito intercepted their attacks, holding the two weapons steady.

"Take a good look Yuuji", Kaito growled, "Where exactly do you see the hole a hollow has huh? Where do you think my mask is? As I said, I may be a hollow, but not in the usual sense of the word".

"What do you mean", Yuuji spat out, taking in the details nonetheless.

"I mean that I'm not a full hollow", Kaito continued, "I don't know what happened exactly, but all I know is that while I'm about ninety percent hollow, I still have ten percent that's something else".

"You mean you're a mix between a shinigami and a hollow?", Shinji muttered.

"No, the ten percent is something else. I'll explain when we get back to headquarters".

"How can we possibly trust you", Tetsuo asked hesitantly, clearly disturbed by the fact that someone could actually hold his sword without any apparent side-effects.

"Actually, it's quite simple. I have all three of you more or less at my mercy now. Do you really think that if I truly were a hollow that I would leave an opportunity such as this as it is? Seriously, a chance to cut down the shinigami force by half with little to no effort. It would turn the rest of the task force into nothing more than a dessert".

"He's got a point Shimizu-san", Shinji sighed, "he could have easily killed all three of us in an instant, yet he didn't. That combined with the obvious lack of some of the more defining trademarks of a hollow means that we should at least offer him the chance to explain himself fully".

"Thanks Yoshikune-san", Kaito smiled as he let go of their zanpakutō, "oh, and could you seal Akarikai? The light is really annoying to me now".

"Sorry about that Kaito-kun", Shinji smiled apologetically.

"I hope you know what you're doing Yoshikune-san", Yuuji said, he was still looking warily in Kaito's direction.

"Not to mention the trouble the Sotaichō will probably give us for this", Naoki muttered as he closed in on the four of them.

"I'll assume full responsibility for that", Shinji replied.

"We will have to take your sword from you Kaito-kun", Tetsuo said.

Kaito nodded in response before pulling his sword out of the earth. Flipping it backwards he handed it to Tetsuo, hilt first.

"Not that it's going to matter much", Naoki continued muttering.

"Don't worry Fukuda-san", Kaito grinned, "as soon as they allow me back into the Gotei 13 I'll have another sparring match with you". The Eleventh division taichō visibly brightened at these words and formed a grin on his face, one that wouldn't disappear for the rest of the week.

"Kaito?", a silent voice interrupted the taichō. Emi had recovered a bit from the shock and was now looking straight into Kaito's eyes. He smiled, recognising not fear, but curiosity and wonder in her look.

"Yeah, it's me", he replied.

She jumped forward for another hug but was stopped by her father.

"I hope you don't mind, but she'll have to stay away from you until we're sure you can be trusted".

"No problem Yuuji-san, I guess it's to be expected, since I look like this", he sighed, "It's been a year, I guess a little longer won't be a problem, right, Emi?".

She simply nodded, tears in her eyes. But unlike the tears she had shed in the past year, these were caused by joy coursing through her body. He was back. His reiatsu might have changed a bit, but the base feeling was still exactly the same as it had been a year ago. It was him, without a doubt.

Standing back into the crowd now surrounding the taichō were the rest of the academy group, staring wordlessly at Kaito.

Finally, Momiji spoke up.

"Figures he'd be the one to save Emi", he grinned at the rest of them, "that guy won't die even if he's killed".

"The true proverbial weed eh?", Sakamoto added with an equally large grin.

"Agreed", nodded Midorikawa who was holding a squirming Miharu. She had tried to glomp Kaito the moment he had shown up, regardless of his appearance. Of course, Midorikawa had intervened with a timely cast Kidō spell. It was obvious the taichō were still wary of their friend, and given the circumstances, they had every right to be. He had to admit that even he, as one of Kaito's close friends, was a bit distraught by his sudden appearance and the changes in his physical shape. It was anyone's guess as to what the psychological changes of his obvious transformation were.

"I still wonder what happened to him", Saruwatari though out loud, "he looks like a hollow and even his reiatsu feels almost exactly like that of a hollow".

"Don't tell me you're still afraid of hollow", Momiji teased his girlfriend, only to receive a small smack against his head in response.

"I'm sure we'll get some answers in time", Midorikawa smiled, interrupting their little scene, "for now, let's just be glad that he's back".

His friends nodded in agreement as they watched the taichō signal for them to leave, Kaito walking in the middle of a circle formed by their superiors. Though their swords were not drawn, tension was still tangible in the air.

As they walked, Emi's attention kept being drawn towards the more prominent physical characteristics of Kaito's new look. She had listened carefully to him when he was describing how his zanpakutō's spirit, Hyakuenrai, looked and was surprised to see a stunning resemblance between the two of them. Well, at least for as far as her imagination went. Naoki on the other hand was having the same thoughts, but on the contrary to Emi, he was sure of the resemblance between the two. He and his wife were the only two to have ever seen Hyakuenrai as it was materialised by Kaito. He shared a look with her. Receiving a nod in response, he too put the things together and quickly formulated a theory as to what had happened to one of his favourite pupils.

A welcoming committee was already waiting for them when they arrived at the gates to Seireitei. As they were walking, Tetsuo had contacted the Sotaichō and given him a brief explanation of the situation. The only reply he had received was to continue their journey back to base and follow orders as they got back. Now it became clear why their orders had been relatively vague. Along with the four gate guardians, every single taichō and fukutaichō had assembled in front of the gate, including the commanders of both the Onmitsukidō and Kidō Corps. The upper tiers of each division were also present. Topping it all off were the Sotaichō and his fukutaichō. In short, almost the entire military might of the Gotei 13 was present and accounted for.

A look of interest came over the Sotaichō's face as he saw the strike force returning. Even amongst the impressive gathering that was taking place, he was the one that stood out the most. As should be expected of the Sotaichō of the Gotei 13. He was a tall man, easily over six feet. His black hair was tied up in a traditional ponytail worn by the samurai of the old days. Pale eyes stood in a face that shone with confidence and experience. Even if he looked to be only about forty, the man was still one of the oldest members of the Gotei 13.

Whispers coursed through the crowd as they caught their first glimpses of Kaito. Looks varied from confusion and shock, to disgust and utter horror. Noticing the expressions, Kaito began feeling nervous, his tail unconsciously swishing back and forth. Shinji was quick to catch on to his former subordinate's situation. Carefully placing his hand on Kaito's shoulder he smiled reassuringly, effectively calming him down.

Glad to see the swishing of the tail dying down, Shinji forced himself to relax a bit more. He had been wary of the damn thing, it really looked like it would hurt if he were to get hit and judging from the way Kaito had stopped his scythe earlier, he was sure that it possessed a massive amount of power.

"So, this is Fujiwara Kaito, am I right?", the Sotaichō suddenly spoke up.

"Indeed he is, Hasegawa-sama", Shinji spoke up. He had assumed responsibility for anything concerning Kaito and his current condition, so it was only logical for him to answer the question posed by the person who was without a doubt the strongest shinigami alive.

"Most interesting", the man mused, putting his chin into his hand and dropping into some sort of a thinking pose.

"I've seen a lot of things in my life, the so called Arrancar being one of the stranger things, but this is completely different isn't it".

"Yes sir, he's unlike anything we've ever seen".

"Erm, excuse me, but could you please stop talking about me as if I'm an exhibit in a museum or something?", Kaito interrupted them.

"Of course, Fujiwara-kun, I apologise for being so rude, but it's still strange", Kazuma smiled at him.

"Uh oh", Naoki shuddered.

"What's wrong dear?", Yushio looked at him questioningly.

"I know that expression on the Sotaichō's face", he explained, "every time he sees something or someone interesting, peculiar or if it's something he doesn't completely trust, he gets that expression on his face. He's about to 'test' Kaito".

"What do you mean, test him?"

"Oh, you'll see. The man did it to me as well, given the 'unconventional' nature of my zanpakutō. He wasn't completely sure he could trust me so he gave me the test as well".

"Please, Fujiwara-kun", Kazuma continued, apparently oblivious to his surroundings, "Could you step forward a bit?"

Kaito quickly did as he was asked. It was only logical that you should not disobey a direct order from the only man capable of exerting enough pressure on those pricks of Room 44 so they would let him back into the Gotei 13. Scratch that, he would be happy if they decided not to execute him.

"Excellent, now, I'm going to ask you to do something and I expect that you'll comply fully with my request, failing to do so will have serious consequences if you understand what I mean".

Kaito nodded. He'd do whatever it would take to get reinstated into the Gotei 13.

"Perfect", Kazuma smiled broadly, "it's really simple actually. The only thing you have to do is pass my test".

"I knew it", Naoki grumbled.

"If you do so, you'll be free to return to your duties in the Gotei 13, which is probably the thing you're looking forward to, well, except for perhaps a hug from your wife".

This comment caused Kaito to blush slightly. He hadn't missed the hidden meaning behind those words, but it was true nevertheless. A year was a very long time to be apart from the love of your life.

"I'll do whatever you ask of me sir", Kaito bowed.

"Very good", Kazuma grinned before turning to Shinji, "Yoshikune Taichō, please hand Fujiwara-kun his sword".

Shinji got an extremely distraught look on his face at hearing his superior's order, but complied nevertheless. A small ache shot through his heart as he glanced down at the sword again, the only surviving blade of what used to be a pair.

Kaito had an equally confused look, even as he took back the blade, careful not to make any sudden gestures that might look aggressive to the men surrounding him. He knew that anything might set them off, given their current state of mind. He wasn't worried about the taichō surrounding him, but the others were a different story altogether.

"Now, Fujiwara-kun, my request is quite simple, though it might be hard nevertheless. I want you to fight me, using your full power".

Kaito looked as if he'd been clubbed on the head with a stick, his mouth hanging open. His expression was being mirrored by the entire Gotei 13, minus Naoki, Kazuma and his fukutaichō.

"And no, this is not a test of you deciding whether or not you are supposed to attack me, I'll be initiating the attack so don't worry. But I strongly recommend you use your full power. I won't be holding back".

As he said this, Kazuma slowly drew his zanpakutō, revealing an uncharacteristically golden coloured blade.

Feeling a pulse of reiatsu coming from the Sotaichō, Kaito quickly positioned himself into a defensive stance.

"Simply defending won't help you Fujiwara-kun", Kazuma shouted as he launched himself forward, leaving Kaito only time to brace himself for the impact.

Kaito quickly raised his sword, barely in time to block Kazuma's strike. The following clash threw up dust as the earth surrounding Kaito's feet visibly cracked. Using the back of his hand, Kaito brushed aside the Sotaichō's sword and brought down his blade in a diagonal slash, cutting the fabric of Kazuma's shihakushō.

Kazuma frowned, looking at his ruined clothes. He didn't get much time though, for Kaito was already approaching for a counterattack, his sword cleaving sideways through the air. Having already brought up his sword, Kazuma was caught by surprise when Kaito stopped his attack moments before it hit. His confusion didn't last long though, a massive smack to the opposite side of his head caused him to be lifted off his feet as he was thrown into the wall surrounding Seireitei, the shockwave rustling the clothes of most of the shinigami standing near it.

"What the hell?", Kazuma muttered as he pulled himself free from the thick stone walls. His question was answered quickly, simply by looking at Kaito. He was standing there, the tip of his tail swishing slowly back and forth on the exact spot where Kazuma's head had been only moments before.

"I see, I forgot about his tail it seems".

Pushing himself out of the wall, the man put his sword in front of him as he flew back towards his opponent, left hand placed diagonally on the guard.

"Shine down, Ougonjidai".

A bright golden light was emitted by the Sotaichō's zanpakutō as he released it, though it had died down by the time he had reached Kaito.

Having been forced to raise his hand to shield his eyes because of the light, Kaito was caught a bit by surprise when his opponent seemed to appear out of thin air the moment he dropped it. Dodging to his right, Kaito winced when he felt something cut through the skin on his left shoulder. Rolling back to his feet after his hasty dodge, he faced Kazuma again.

His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed that even though it had been released, Kazuma's zanpakutō hadn't changed at all.

"Ok, what's the big idea here?", he asked the man.

"What do you mean Fujiwara-kun?".

"I know you released your zanpakutō, but I'm not seeing any changing of shape or anything".

"Oh, so you want it to change its shape do you? Sure, I can do that", Kazuma grinned, just before his sword shone brightly again. Moments later he was standing with a golden war-axe in his hands.

"Or would you prefer this shape?"

The process repeated itself, though this time, he was left standing with a golden teaspoon. Jaws dropped all around, while Kazuma's fukutaichō simply sighed, putting his face in his hands.

"Oh, sorry, that one's reserved for tea-time", the man smiled apologetically.

Tired of being semi-ridiculed by Kazuma, Kaito didn't give him the time to strike back. He smashed his sword into the earth before bringing his hands together in front of him, index and middle fingers pointed slightly downwards and almost touching while his thumbs were pointing slightly upwards. As soon as he brought the tip of his tail over his head and hovered it over his hands an eerie sound cascaded over the small square outside of the wall.

Kazuma's eyes widened visibly as he instantly recognised the sound. His reaction was shared by most of the upper ranks of the shinigami surrounding the two combatants. It was the unmistakable roar of a Cero being formed. A blood red light began shining from between Kaito's hands, small beams of the light shouting out of the ball that was being formed.

"Shit", was the only thought running through Kazuma's mind moments before Kaito's eyes narrowed and the blast shot out, tearing a deep trench in the earth as it raced towards the Sotaichō.

The resulting blast temporarily blinded anyone who had looked directly into it and massive amounts of dust and debris had been thrown into the air at the energy attack struck its target.

"Easy there people", Naoki shouted as he noticed the taichō that hadn't accompanied them on the raid had already drawn their swords and were ready to attack Kaito, "It's not like the Sotaichō would die from a blast like that, you should know that".

"Indeed they should", came a voice out of the dust. As it cleared, Kaito and the shinigami present were surprised to see Kazuma standing right on the spot where the trench ended, unharmed, his clothes smoking a bit, with a huge teaspoon in his hands, the bigger end of it having been planted partly into the earth as to shield him from the blast.

"I must say Kaito, I'm impressed", the man continued, ignoring the stupefied expressions on the faces of his subordinates, "I didn't even have time to change the shape of my spoon, only to enlarge it so it would better deflect the blast. In any case, I'm satisfied, you've passed my test".

Kaito simply stood there, mouth agape. Unable to even respond.

"In other words, I'm allowing you back into the Gotei 13, though there might be some changes concerning your status, don't worry. But before we go through with all that, I will be needing an explanation on what happened during the year that you were absent from here. Of course I would also like to hear how you managed to undergo such apparent physical changes during that time. So if you could please follow me".

"Hasegawa Sotaichō-sama, you can't be serious", Fujimoto Yoshitoki, the Eight Division Taichō exclaimed, "It's a massive security risk to let something like that into the Gotei 13, even more so if it's given a position of authority. Room 44 will never allow something like this".

"Fujimoto-kun", Kazuma responded, "there is a saying. You only know a person until you have fought against him. I have, and I must say that that person standing in front of me now is not a thing or a hollow, but Fujiwara Kaito, Fukutaichō of the Ninth Division".

He turned around, before turning his head and addressing the taichō again.

"And about Room 44, I've long since told them to stay out of matters concerning the Gotei 13. That's my turf, and if they have a problem with it, they'll find out how it feels to have a teaspoon shoved up their behinds".

The entire crowd assembled shivered at the thought. Without a doubt, none of them would look at a teaspoon in the same way ever again, not after Kazuma's small show.

With this, he signalled the gate guardian to open the gate, granting them access to Seireitei.

"You coming Fujiwara-kun?", he asked without even turning around.

"Yes sir", Kaito smiled, before looking questioningly at Yuuji, who looked from Kaito to his daughter. Noticing the smile on her face, he simply nodded slightly, trusting the Sotaichō's word on the matter. With moment Emi had left her father's side and bolted towards her husband, throwing herself in his arms with such force that she almost knocked him to the ground. Before he even had a chance to recover, she crushed her lips against his, finally toppling him over.

He enjoyed the moment for a while, before gently pulling Emi back.

"I missed you Emi", he smiled at her, before he put his hands around her and pulled her into a tight, but gentle hug.

"Do you ever die?", a voice shattered through the moment.

Kaito and Emi looked up to see their friends standing there, wide smiles on each of their faces.

"Nope", he replied to Momiji's question, grinning from ear to ear, "you should know that by now".

"True enough", Momiji laughed in response.

"Don't worry Shimizu-san", Shinji reassured Yuuji, who was watching the scene with a concerned look in his eyes.

"I know Yoshikune-san. It's just that I don't know what to think or how to react. Less than an hour ago I was scared to death that I had lost my daughter during the raid, and now, not only is she perfectly fine, but my son has returned as well".

"It's perfectly fine to feel a bit emotional at this you know", Shinji smiled, his eyes shining, moist from holding back some tears. Even if they were tears of joy, it wasn't really suited for a taichō to show too much emotion in front of a crowd such as this.

"I guess you're right", Yuuji agreed, before walking towards his son and daughter.

Kaito looked up as the current leader of the Shimizu clan, the Ninth Division Taichō, his own superior and the father of his wife came to a halt right next to him.

"Welcome back son", Yuuji smiled, before pulling Kaito and Emi up effortlessly and enveloping them into a hug.

Kaito simply put one of his arms around Yuuji's back, Emi doing the same.

"It's good to be back".


	22. Chapter 21

A/N: I know, long wait for this one, blame the muse ^^

In any case, this chapter will answer some questions, and raise some more ^^

Enjoy

* * *

**Chapter 21**

After a few moments, Kaito broke the hug and started following Kazuma towards the First Division meeting room, but a hand tugging on his shoulder stopped him.

"You mister, are not going anywhere until I get a look at that wound", Asuka smiled foxily, happy that she could do something again, and the fact that she could be the first ever to take a closer look at his physiology only added to her joy.

Kazuma simply stood by and watched as Asuka took care of Kaito's injury. Even he knew to stay out of her way when she was fussing over an injury. She wouldn't even care if it were God himself, she'd simply smack him out of the way and tell him to leave her alone while she was healing her patient.

"Figures that one of the first things you'd do when you got back was getting Kago-Taichō to look over you again", Sakamoto smirked, "how come you always end up with one or the other injury every single time you do something surprising?".

"I'm a natural", Kaito winced as Asuka pushed the two edges of the wound together before bathing it in her reiatsu, effectively closing up the wound until the only trace of it was a pale scar, which would fade over time.

"There you go", she said as she released his shoulder, "now please be more careful in the future alright?".

"Tell that to the ones I'm fighting please Kago-Taichō", he replied, earning him a smack on his shoulder, courtesy of Kago Asuka.

The journey through Seireitei was strange to say the least. Everywhere the group passed they received quite a bit of stares. It was rare to see every single taichō of the Gotei 13 together in one place outside of the Taichō meeting room in the First Division headquarters, add their fukutaichō and Kaito to the mix and you had a once in a lifetime sight. Though the looks towards Kaito were drastically different from those cast to the taichō. There were some that were filled with wonder and curiosity, but most were fearful. The physical changes on his body combined with his reiatsu caused most of the shinigami to be on edge the moment they saw him. Some even had their swords drawn before they got a decent look at the group moving steadily towards the centre of Seireitei, such was the nature of his presence.

Kaito looked up as they approached the taichō's meeting room. The massive white doors decorated with wood were an impressive sight. The symbol of the first division was placed directly over the opening. Swallowing, Kaito walked forward as the double doors swung open, giving entrance to one of the most exclusive places in Seireitei. Only a few other places such as Room 44 and the archives had even stricter admission policies. Even so, generally no one beneath the rank of fukutaichō would set foot in the taichō meeting room. During his own time as a fukutaichō, Kaito had never set foot in it, seeing that there hadn't been the need for a meeting.

"Please enter, Fujiwara-kun", Kazuma smiled as he walked into the room and sat down onto his chair at the opposite end, right in front of a brightly lit crevasse, a scroll bearing the motto of the Gotei 13 hanging from the ceiling.

Following the Sotaichō's order, he and the others entered, the doors swinging shut behind them. It gave somewhat of an eerie feeling, seeing the taichō standing in two lines on either side of what seemed like an imaginary pathway. The Sotaichō sitting at the end of that pathway. His eyes adjusted instantly to the change in light. Except for the crevasse behind Kazuma, the entire room was lit by nothing more than a few lanterns hanging on the walls.

Following protocol, Kaito kneeled at the beginning of the line of taichō, Emi and the fukutaichō doing the same. Of their academy group, she was the only one besides Kaito to have been allowed to enter the room, the rest had been ordered to wait outside. Not that they really cared, they knew they were going to hear the story eventually.

"So please, Fujiwara-kun, tell us exactly what happened", Kazuma spoke up, beginning the 'interview'.

"As you all know, about a year ago, a patrol belonging to the Fifth Division was ambushed by an Adjuchas class Menos", Kaito began, deciding to start from the very beginning, "I responded immediately to their distress call and succeeded in occupying the hollow long enough for them to escape. It was however too strong for me to defeat, even if I had my limiter released it wouldn't have made a difference, he was simply toying with me. I knew Yoshikune Taichō would show up eventually, so I tried to hold out until then, but my fate was already sealed. When Emi showed up, I noticed it shifting its attack to her, so I did the only thing I could, I threw myself in front of her. I noticed Yoshikune Taichō together with Fukuda Taichō, Shimizu Taichō and Kago Taichō approaching. This effectively forced the hollow to retreat back to their world, Hueco Mundo. Seeing that I was impaled on one of its claws at the time, it pulled me back into the Garganta, their version of our Senkai gates".

Kaito paused a bit, visibly struggling to continue.

"After that, well, I was eaten by the hollow".

An audible gasp came from several of the fukutaichō and Emi. This was in sharp contrast to the reactions of the taichō, there the most significant one was a simple raised eyebrow.

"If you were eaten by that Adjuchas Fujiwara, how is it possible that you are standing here in front of us now?", Fujimoto spoke up, clearly not believing his story.

"I was getting to that Fujimoto-Taichō", he replied.

"As you all know, Menos come in three different classes, Gillian, Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde. Each of which consists of the spirits of several hundred hollow. While Gillian are the most obvious in this, the spirits from their first stages remain with the hollow for the rest of its life. The Adjuchas that ate me was at the moment on the brink of advancing to the next level. Seeing that I, as a spirit, had just been absorbed by it, I added enough power to allow it to transform. This caused a momentary instability in its inner balance, allowing my spirit, combined with Hyakuenrai's to fight back, eventually overtaking the hollow and influencing its transformation, resulting in a body that has characteristics of both the hollow, Hyakuenrai and myself. Because of this, my body lacks the typical hole in the chest of a hollow, I also lack the hunger for other souls, if that's what you're concerned about. For the rest, I'm pretty much completely hollow though. I've lost all my shinigami abilities, but they've been replaced by those of the hollow".

"So we've seen", Kazuma interrupted Kaito, "that was an impressive cero blast. But I'm wondering, what happened to the spirits of the hollow and Hyakuenrai?".

"The hollow's gone sir", Kaito continued, "during the takeover, Hyakuenrai and I essentially tore his spirit to shreds. There's not a trace of him left. As for my sword's spirit, he sacrificed himself for me. It's actually because of him that I don't have a hole in my chest and such".

Kazuma appeared satisfied with that explanation and nodded, signalling the taichō they could ask their own questions.

"Kaito", Yuuji spoke up, "how long did it take for you to take over the hollow?"

"About an hour or two", he replied.

"Then why didn't you come back to us afterwards?"

Kaito grimaced a bit, hearing the evident undertone of disappointment in Yuuji's voice.

"It's because I was a 'new-born', so to speak. I didn't have a grip on my new powers or anything. Heck, it took me well over a month to get my body to move the way I wanted it to. Suddenly getting a tail and wings doesn't exactly help with your sense of balance you know. That and I needed to defend myself from other hollow while I was learning and I knew you'd probably attack me the moment you saw me appear, so I needed to learn to control my powers while I was there".

Yuuji looked down sheepishly after hearing Kaito's explanation. It was evident he had thought this speech through beforehand. His reason for staying in Hueco Mundo for an entire year was quite good actually, seeing that Yuuji had indeed attacked Kaito almost the moment he'd appeared.

"So where does this put you on the 'power-scale' Kaito?", Naoki grinned, eager to have another 'friendly spar' with him.

"Well, though the transformation was influenced by my take-over, it was completed nonetheless".

"You're telling us you're a Vasto Lorde class hollow now?", Fujimoto gasped, taking a few steps back.

"That's about it yeah", Kaito replied casually, ignoring the stunned looks the faces of several of the taichō. Not that he could really blame them. Standing in front of them was someone that could probably take on two to three of them at the same time and still come out on top.

"I figured you were holding back a bit", Kazuma grumbled a bit at hearing this.

"With all due respect sir", Kaito grinned, "you were holding back as well".

"True enough, it's simply because I didn't want to injure you while we were fighting".

"My reason is about the same. If I had given you a serious injury, chances were the other taichō would've attacked me. That and the people surrounding us would be at risk if we would've upped the level a bit".

"Seems like you've experiences battles at that level".

"As a matter of fact I have, and trust me when I tell you that there's nothing much left standing after a battle between two Vasto Lorde class Menos".

"Looks like you got enough practise for your new powers then", Kazuma smiled.

"Well then, since we've now been given a thorough explanation as to what happened during your absence, I'm hereby happy to reinstate you as a member of the Gotei 13. Normally I would give someone of your calibre a position as a taichō, but seeing that all positions are already taken, I'm afraid I'll have to appoint you another position, unless of course you would like to challenge one of the taichō present here".

Kaito simply shook his head. He would be more than satisfied if he were to be reassigned his former position as fukutaichō of the Ninth Division.

"So I'm giving you the choice", Kazuma continued, "either you take up your previous position as the Ninth Division fukutaichō, or you exchange that position with my own fukutaichō".

Casting a glance at the officer in question, Kaito quickly decided he'd stick with his old position.

"I'll stay with the Ninth sir", Kaito replied, glad to see a look of relief flood over the first division fukutaichō, followed by a short, but thankful nod.

"Very well then", Kazuma smiled.

"Fujiwara Kaito, you are hereby reinstated as the Ninth Division Fukutaichō. Welcome back to the Gotei 13".

Kaito bowed deeply at hearing the Sotaichō's verdict. He had no doubt Room 44 would be outraged when the news reached them, but he couldn't care less, and apparently neither did the Sotaichō.

"I hope they like the feeling of a giant spoon shoved up their behinds", Kaito thought as he slowly rose, following the example of the rest of the fukutaichō.

To say that the people at the Shimizu estate were having a weird reaction to Kaito's return was a serious understatement. Most of the guards had taken up defensive positions and wouldn't leave them until Yuuji himself gestured to them that there was no danger. The servants however were somewhat more prone to scattering in fear as soon as they spotted Kaito. Even Reiko needed a bit of convincing before she too realised that her son-in-law had truly returned from the dead.

Still, it didn't take most of the people long for them to accept both his return and new appearance. They were quickly convinced that he was Kaito, this because of his unique personality, and of course the fact that Emi never left his side while they walked through the estate, Seri peacefully sleeping in Kaito's arms.

"What's wrong Kaito", Emi asked him when he suddenly stopped while they were walking through one of the gardens surrounding the main building.

"What's that?", he asked her, pointing to a small tombstone that was still standing upright in the earth.

Emi swallowed a bit as her eyes moved towards Kaito's grave. They hadn't had the time to do anything about it yet. It wasn't exactly something that she wanted to show him.

"That's where we buried the remains of one of your swords, your fukutaichō badge and Yoshikune Taichō's haori. Since we couldn't find anything else, we used those three items for your burial".

Kaito didn't say anything though. He simply moved towards the stone in a slow pace before kneeling in front of it.

"I'm sorry you have to see this Kaito, we didn't have the time to have it removed yet"

"Don't", he suddenly spoke up, leaving Emi with a surprised look on her face.

"Why?"

"This isn't my grave Emi", he replied solemnly as he drew his remaining blade out of its makeshift sheath, "It's Hyakuenrai's".

Slowly, he placed the blade at the grave, almost reverently sliding it point first into the earth, until he heard an audible thump.

He placed one hand on the stone, using the other to wipe away the writing on it before using his reiatsu to inscribe a new writing onto it.

"Thanks for everything Hyakuenrai", he smiled as a single tear slowly rolled over his cheek before falling into the grass, "See you later".

Emi didn't even dare to breathe while Kaito was at the grave. It seemed almost like a holy moment. In a certain sense, it was. A shinigami and his zanpakutō's spirit were practically inseparable. For a shinigami to lose his sword's spirit while surviving himself was considered to be one of the greatest injuries one could have. In a sense, part of your soul was lost forever.

She was startled when she suddenly felt Kaito's hand on her shoulder. Somehow he'd moved away from the grave and to her side without her even noticing.

"Let's go", he whispered.

She nodded as she took his hand and started guiding him away from the grave. It was obvious that he couldn't look at it anymore without breaking down.

As it was, it didn't really take that long for Kaito to get settled back in his role as a fukutaichō. While most of the men were still extremely wary whenever he was around, continuous effort on both Kaito's and Yuuji's part slowly started easing the tension. It was however a shock to every single member of the Ninth Division when they woke up to massive shocks coursing through the earth, accompanied with ear-splitting cracks that resounded throughout the complex.

They hurried towards the source of the disturbance, only to find Yuuji and Kaito locked into what seemed a mortal battle.

"Stay back", Yuuji shouted when he noticed that some of the men had started moving towards him, ready to help if necessary.

"What's going on here sir", the Division Fourth seat asked him as he watched the two combatants circle each other, looking for an opening they could exploit.

"Nothing serious", he replied, "just holding a friendly sparring match".

Stunned the men looked at the environment surrounding the two and could hardly believe that the destruction there had been caused by nothing more than a friendly spar.

"I never really knew that you were this good Yuuji-san", Kaito grinned as he slowly moved around, never taking his eyes off his opponent.

"Well, I must admit the same thing about you Kaito", he smiled, just before he attacked again. He had released his zanpakutō early on in the fight and had shifted to his usually style of attacking. Nothing but a small cloud of dust was left as he jumped up high into the air, using the rising sun to cover his approach.

Kaito quickly jumped to the side, avoiding a run-in with the razor sharp tip of the lance. He'd already been hit a few times and none were worth repeating. Ever since he'd left his remaining sword at the small grave in the Shimizu estate, he'd been practising with using his entire body as a weapon. The scales that lined his body proved to be invaluable when blocking attacks that his Hierro couldn't stand up to, while some of the spikes he could create by lining up those same scales in a different configuration were perfect for strikes. Still, he had to rely mostly on Hakuda as opposed to Zanjutsu when fighting. He'd already gone and asked for some lessons by the Second Division taichō but while those lessons were effective, they still needed to be applied in combat, hence the morning spar with Yuuji.

The earth shook as Yuuji slammed his lance into the earth only moments after Kaito had moved out of the way. Seeing his chance, Kaito spun around as he brought his right leg up for a backwards roundhouse.

Yuuji grinned as he saw Kaito begin his attack, he'd already snapped his lance once when he'd appeared in front of them, now almost two months ago. Moving quickly, he used it as a support and launched himself into the air again, pulling his zanpakutō out of the earth in the process.

Kaito's leg whistled through the air as he noticed Yuuji's manoeuvre. Deciding not to let his movement go to waste, he quickly angled it downwards, bringing his leg back next to the other while he went into a crouch.

Yuuji's eyes widened as Kaito pushed off and raced after him.

With a resounding clang, the two of them met in mid-air, the resulting shockwave travelling visibly through the air.

It didn't take the two combatants long before they upped the level and started moving at their top speeds, becoming a blur to just about every single onlooker as the typical swishing sounds from shunpō were alternated with brief bursts of static.

They continued this for several more minutes, until a loud voice suddenly called out to them.

"Fujiwara Kaito, what the hell are you doing there?"

Recognising the voice, both Kaito and Yuuji stopped in mid-attack and turned to look towards the person that was now stomping towards them.

"Honestly", Emi huffed, "I don't know what is wrong with you. You're back for two months and already you're fighting just about anyone that is willing to spar with you. Yoshizawa Taichō from the Second Division, Fukuda Taichō from the eleventh, Yoshikune Taichō and now my own father. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that every single time you returned from one of those fights, you were covered in wounds"

As she was talking she had closed the distance between herself and her husband and now she was standing almost right in front of him.

"Don't you realise how worried I am every time I see you fighting like that?", she finally gave in, flinging herself in Kaito's embrace.

Realising that Emi must've been scared to death when she had felt Yuuji's and his reiatsu clash he quickly started consoling her.

"I'm sorry Emi, it's just that I need someone whose level is high enough so that I can be sure that they are alright if I slip up with my control"

"I know that, but I can't help but worry whenever I see you fighting", she sighed, "I'm afraid that you might get hit accidentally. I don't want to lose you again Kaito"

"Emi, don't worry", Kaito smiled, "I'm more sturdy than that".

"Idiot", she grinned as she punched his upper arm, careful to aim at one of the weaker spots of his skin.

"Can we get on with our spar then?", Yuuji interrupted. As much as he liked to see his daughter talk to his son-in-law, he was still a bit riled up from their battle. The adrenaline was making its way throughout his veins.

"No dad, you're not going to fight him again", Emi muttered as she placed herself in between him and Kaito.

Yuuji sighed, now that his daughter had arrived on the scene, there was no way that he was going to get to finish his spar with Kaito. He was still pining for a bit of payback from that day at the raid where he'd been thoroughly beaten by Kaito in mere moments. Still, he didn't exactly want to exact his daughter's anger. While it wasn't easy to get her mad, once you did there was no telling what she was capable of.

"Fine", he muttered as he turned around and faced several of the onlookers.

"You guys", he shouted as he pointed at six of them, "you'll be replacing Kaito, so get up here. You'll have to fight in his place since his lovely wife is scared that he might get scratched some more"

"With an audible groan, the men moved towards their superior while the rest of the division started laughing a bit at Yuuji's small joke about his daughter and their fukutaichō.

Emi blushed slightly when a few brave souls couldn't help but wolf-whistle at the couple, though a quick glare from Kaito silenced them almost instantly.

"So what is on your duty roster today Kaito?", Emi asked as they walked through the streets of Seireitei. Neither of them had something to do for the moment so they had decided to take advantage of that and spend it together.

"Nothing really interesting", he replied with a shrug, "I had nothing planned this morning except for that spar with Yuuji-san. This afternoon it's a short patrol in New York. There's been a report of a Menos sighting by the regular patrol squad there, so they want me to investigate it"

Emi looked at him closely as he said this.

"I promise I'll be careful", he added, satisfying his wife's worrying nature. Ever since he'd gotten back she had been extremely worried every time he left for a patrol or mission somewhere in the real world. It was apparent that she hadn't coped well with his 'death'.

"Besides", he continued with a grin, "I doubt that there is much out there that I can't handle"

"Right, so what will you when you come face to face with something you can't handle then?"

"Erm, I'll come running back home?"

"Good enough answer for me"

Later that day, Kaito was calmly making his way through the massive skyscrapers of downtown New York in search of any residual spirit particles that the Menos might've left behind. Reports had said that it was a Gillian class, but still, Kaito was being careful. When fighting Menos, there was always a certain unknown factor. One never knew if it was a lone Gillian trying to scratch together a meal or if it was being controlled by an Adjuchas class. He'd seen the tactic often enough while he was in Hueco Mundo. Once the target had been weakened sufficiently by one or more Gillian, the Adjuchas itself moved in for the kill. Most of the time, the tactic was successful because of the relatively low intelligence of Adjuchas and especially Gillian class hollow.

It didn't take him long to find traces of the hollow, or rather, what was left of it. Scattered across several rooftops were the remains of what seemed to be at least three Gillian and a single Adjuchas, but the strange thing was the lack of any significant reiatsu in the pieces that remained. It was as if they had been drained completely dry.

"This is getting serious", Kaito mused. There had been similar reports of hollow that had been slain in the exact same manner. Combined with the significant rise in shinigami disappearances over the last few years, it was definitely something to be worried about. Ever since his return he had read everything he could about the organisation they had raided that day. It was with little doubt that he could say that it was behind both the disappearances and these happenstances with the hollow.

"I'd better report this to headquarters he thought before turning and tearing a hole in the dimensional fabric. While he couldn't use a Senkai gate anymore, he could easily make his own Garganta passageway.

As soon as it had closed, the air on top of one of the nearby buildings started shimmering, revealing two persons dressed in a battle outfit, each sporting the logo of a broken dagger on it.

"Do you think he noticed us", one of the two asked the other.

"Not a chance, otherwise he'd have annihilated us in a flash. Did you feel how strong that guy was?"

"Yeah, no wonder Kawazoe-sama told us to either run of hide the moment we noticed him. Still, it surprises me that the Gotei 13 would actually let someone like that in their ranks. Did you notice how much his reiatsu felt like that of a hollow?"

"Yeah, it's completely unlike anything I've ever felt. But still, I'm glad that Kawazoe-sama finally managed to install these filtering devices on the daggers so that we can safely absorb hollow reiatsu as well without going crazy. And I really wouldn't want to look like that guy"

"True enough, but it would be horrible indeed if you improved your looks by growing a few extra ears or so"

One of the two figures laughed as he jumped off the building, the second one in hot pursuit.


End file.
